Titanium Tutelage
by Tetractys
Summary: DISCONTINUED
1. Monotonous Mechanisms

***EDITED***This is my first fanfic, whatsoever, so please be gentle when commenting XD Anyway, on to the disclaimer: I do not own Generator Rex, the characters, nor merchandise, etc...although, I wish I did.

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Nothing beats a swift, adrenaline-pumped bike ride around the EVO habitat on a Saturday morning. The sounds of the tropical inhabitants echoed passed him and were eventually drowned out by the constant and familiar thumping of his heart and the buzzing of his motor as he felt the rushing cold winds slap against his exposed face. The flashy colors of the EVO plants and animals blurred together as he sped through the jungle. And he would relish every moment of it.

This is what Rex would have been doing at this very moment, if, it wasn't for that whiter than milk Knight telling everyone to do a little 'spring cleaning.' It wasn't even spring either.

"It's the middle of September, for Christ's sake!" exclaimed our agitated hero. Rex was put in charge of organizing a couple of mountains worth of paperwork; he simply needed to either shred the sheets marked red or fill-out the unmarked. Unfortunately, it seemed that whoever dealt with the papers last, had lost all the red pens.

Rex was hunched over on his poor excuse for a desk while checking over some slacker's pathetic spelling. The lights had been on for a few hours now, and the intensity had begun to sting his eyes. So, out of necessity, he took the liberty of turning them off and instead relied on his own self. The self-proclaimed remarkable EVO, who just so happened to be the only one who could control his own nanites, Rex. Rex used his abilities to generate his own personal lamp light. The best part when it came to becoming your own light source was that you could control the colors and the brightness. Perfect for Rex's case…but, there was a problem. The worst part when it came to being a lamp was that its performance was completely dependent on your emotions. As such, the light flickered ominously as Rex's frustration escalated.

"How the heck do they expect a fifteen year old to put up with this…this torture!" cried Rex, he was just finishing up a misplaced contract to one of the doctors around the building, when he heard a mild chuckle behind him.

"What the fu-", "come now Rex, is this how you handle your duty? I have to deal with twice this much work with half the complaint every week," remarked the Agent. His little speech seemed laced with the tiniest pinches of irritation, but that was an understatement…as Rex soon found out.

"But, but, I'm just a-", "Just a what? A teenager? That may be so, but you are also apart of Providence; everyone has their place, this 'chore' as you call it, is best suited to you; I don't enjoy everything that gets thrown at me, but I know my place. You should learn to find yours as well." He was completely steamed, or as steamed as Rex got to see him behind those cold, black shades he always wears. Rex wondered whether his usual laziness and complaints really drove Six over the edge. And on that thought, Six marched straight out of the cubical-like room Rex worked in and nearly slammed the door on his way out. Which, unfortunately, caused the current pile of papers Rex just finished to unceremoniously collapse onto him and onto every square inch of the tiny room…And cover a small lunchbox provided by aforementioned agent.

"Ugh! Geeze, what's his problem?" Rex, being the hot head he is, stormed after the dull stick-in-the-mud, unaware of his present. He just had to get an answer to this out-of-character outburst; he never talked that way to him just because of a little rant…Rex, meanwhile, was overly preoccupied with the raging maelstrom of emotions and thoughts in his mind and bumped right into the _gorgeous_ Doctor Holiday…who was also slightly lost in thought.

Doctor Holiday, Rex's young physician, monitored his actions and overall performance. Whether she had a social life or not, she was basically White's yes-woman, and that meant she had to wait on hand and foot for Knight. Her life was only getting more miserable as the days passed, the only exception being her infrequent visits by her romantic adolescent. Although his endearing advances were obviously staged, it warmed her heart nonetheless. That was until today, when she was given a particular project.

"Oh, Rex, just who I was looking for. I need you to participate in a little experiment for me, I've been monitoring your nanite activity for the past few missions and they seemed to be performing at very erratic levels. I want test out a theory," she muttered, a little too preoccupied in her numbers and papers.

They began to walk, and walk, and walk some more. It was rather strange that his feet didn't feel the need to register pain because it had surely been over an hour of walking. Of course, it could have been his overactive imagination and that, in actuality, it was a little more than five minutes. All the hallways looked the same in this lackluster base. The hallways, the doors, and those unrelenting fluorescent lights, all of them were stark white. No color and no excitement. It wasn't long when Rex's surroundings began to blend together. It was like an ugly version of his daydream earlier that day… 'Completely ridiculous,' thought Rex.

Rex had to all, but jog to keep up with her and all the while pondering, 'How the heck can she walk in those heels so fast?'

That was until he dragged himself from his stupor and noticed they were already in one of the various labs in which he regulared. This lab just so happened to specialize in extracting 'samples.' These samples could range from blood, to nanites, to…well…you get the point. It was a rather awkward position for a fifteen year old to situate himself in, particularly if the doctor in question was a woman, especially Doctor Holiday.

The room smelled sterile and overbearing. It made Rex fidget and squirm under the particular circumstances and thus, he wanted out…or at least get someone else to _treat_ him. Sadly, White Knight would have none of that and knew full well that Rex and his highly predictable behavior, would try to escape. So as an obvious precaution, Knight had Holiday do everything she could to complete the extraction and analysis without any interference.

"Umm, yeah, doc? Could I have someone _else _check my vitals or whatever? This is-", "What? Would you rather have Six do the job instead? Don't fret, it'll be the usual test samples, blood and nanites," perked up Holiday, quickly silencing the reddening teen.

"Oh, okay." Rex knew that Dr. Holiday didn't get to spend so much time with him, that she hadn't realized that he really didn't enjoy being cut off mid-sentence. Or of the fact that Rex felt odd about having _him _of all people to take samples from. He wasn't _that way _for his colleague, right? It was just weird having a comrade in such a position, that's all…yeah, that's it.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, he could understand a little of what the doctor was going through. The organization had been hectic for the past week due to an increase in EVO activity and thus the resulting missions he partook in. Rex was actually, quite thankful that he had people to keep his spirits up. 'Bobo definitely and Holiday too.'

He supposed that Six was a part of his quaint, cozy 'family' one way or another…Rex was so caught up in his thoughts, that he hadn't realized that Doctor H. had finished the tests already. In fact, she was nearly blaring right into his ear.

"Rex! Hello? I'm done!" she exclaimed; she was slightly perturbed by this odd behavior, usually Rex was far more talkative. She decided to lightly slap his cheek a few times, and he came around.

"Oh, sorry Holiday, I was _so _entranced by your beauty, I forgot how to speak." Rex wasn't really in _love_ with her; he just found this little game to be too much fun to give up. And apparently, somewhere along the lines, the oh-so-knowledgeable doctor, forgot when to give a come-back. "I guess I'll just shove off then…" Rex made his way to the titanium doors of the lab, when Holiday spoke up.

"Rex, I really think you should try to get to know Six better, he was really looking forward to helping you out with your filing today. I saw him storm off and I know he gave you some meatloaf because he left without it when he came barging out of the room you were working in." Rex in turn, looked back at Holiday with an almost incredulous look plastered on his face and was about to make a probably snide comment, but Holiday continued to lecture. "Seriously, Rex, get to know him, he really does care about you."

"Fine, I'll go look for Six, but first, I'm going to go scavenge around for that elusive meatloaf you said he left me, I was sure I didn't smell any…" And with that, he flashed her a toothy grin and went off to begin his search for that meatloaf and all the while rampaging down the hall back to his cubical for a room.

"Good luck, Rex…" replied Holiday, her once jovial exterior had melted away to reveal a tiresome, drained doctor, as Rex ran past a corner and out of his field of vision, "Now to finish up this little _project_…what are you thinking White?"

She sat silently in the cold room. She had nothing to keep her company but the computer monitor and the sounds of her manicured nails swiftly gracing the computer keys…Although, her typing would seem more like a blur to anyone else who was unfamiliar with the incredible speed of her work output. It was only after working under White for so many years that Holiday would slowly develop the insane ability to type several hundred words a minute. And that was only when she was having a bad day.

Despite this, Holiday didn't really notice this trait she acquired. All that mattered what that she finished this report to White by today. If not, then there were severe consequences, some of which, she'd rather not even contemplate. Oh yes, White was always able to get whatever he wanted…and there was nothing that she, or anyone else could do to stop him. Knight was untouchable. She knew that if she had the chance, she would take Rex, and Bobo, and everyone else and escape this militaristic mafia. They'd be way better off if they were never introduced to this maddening organization, because once you've joined, White made it a top priority to prevent anyone from leaving.

So, Holiday continued to labor under White, she would continue to type out this report, and she would continue to deceive everyone else of what true horrors White had in store for them all. All she had to do was keep typing. And not glance at the tiny, ivory surveillance camera that was placed above the door frame she was working under at this moment.

'Just keep smiling. Don't worry; everything will work out in the end.'

Holiday would continuously chant this mantra to herself just so that she wouldn't go insane or blow her cover. The end result of disobeying Knight was something Holiday could never afford to happen. And this inner conflict would rage on, until she finally typed out the last words of her report. She emailed the freshly made papers to an undisclosed address and made her way out of the room, never once meeting the invisible gaze of a certain mad man.

Always constant, always vigilant, always terrifying was White.


	2. Artificial Anodyne

***EDITED***Next chapter! Okay, from now on, I'll only be updating on the weekends, unless I get a break from school, etc. Otherwise, updates on the week days are going to be sparse and unlikely. Anyway, thanks for the critique Kereea, and I'll do my best everyone!~ Disclaimer: I own diddly-squat. DX

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Irked…No, more than irked. He was _nearly_ frustrated yet bordering furious at the same time. Rex brought his hands to his temples in a vain attempt at quelling an oncoming headache. The sight that met his eyes when he returned to his quarters sparked surprise, confusion, anger, and annoyance. All. At. Once.

This set of emotions was quite different from what Rex was experiencing a few moments ago…Rex was considerably ebullient after leaving Holiday and learning that his grumpy, shades wearing watchdog had the heart to get him some of his favorite meal.

Oh how he devoured meatloaf during dinner on Fridays, a relatively recent tradition created by Rex himself. And how he would make a complete mess of the kitchen table as a result. It was quite similar to a possible rendition of World War III…if the combatants were potatoes, gravy, and other ingredients. The moment Rex got his first taste of meatloaf…it all went downhill from there, for the meatloaf at least. It was a total culinary massacre after that, no survivors.

Once, according to Bobo, he found bite marks on some of the cutlery after last night's fiasco and had a gut feeling that it was all Rex's doing. Although, no one judged Bobo for his actions after that, at least anyone who had witnessed Rex's table manners. Rex had tried to pin the blame on a mouse EVO that could chew through steel…Bobo didn't buy it. Let's just say that it was Rex who was forced to clean the dishes for everyone's meals for the next two weeks. Anyway, here was Rex. Standing in the middle of the doorway with mouth slightly agape, eyes twitching, at his now occupied room.

It seemed that his faithful simian companion had the oh-so-generous idea to help clean up his once paper ridden floor. The only problem was that he skimped out on organizing the papers back into the correct stacks. Instead, they were all in a huge jumbled mass occupying a corner of the room, which by the way, was relatively cramped to begin with. However, that wasn't the main problem at hand. The lackadaisical chimp was lying on his bed, asleep, and what appeared to be tomato sauce and mashed potatoes coating his face. For an intelligent, 'self-aware' companion, Rex would have ironically expected better table manners. Although, this is what he _would have_ thought, because right now, all Rex was seeing was red.

Cracking an eye open, Bobo felt mildly uncomfortable having his partner nearly fuming from his ears at his latest…meal. It wasn't his fault the room was a mess. He just did what he needed to do to get some space to sleep. As an added bonus, he found the leftover meatloaf he made yesterday that Six took.

Looking back, it was rather odd that Six would simply take the meatloaf without a feasible explanation along with two copies of printed contracts, four copies of his would-be alibi, or whatever paperwork that would satisfy any judge and or fellow preachy follow-the-rules-to-the-letter people. Instead, the strict Agent Six had neither reason nor reply when asked as to why he was kidnapping his precious meatloaf.

Now, to the average bystander, he would just appear to be the typical trigger-happy animal EVO, but Bobo had quite the calculating personality. He soon realized why Six left Rex some meatloaf and what it represented; he was just watching out for the boy. Six, Bobo reasoned, needed some talking to.

"Bobo. What have you done?" growled Rex with a comical vein bulging from his right temple. His features were all but controlled and relaxed. Rex had this 'look' in his eyes that said, 'If you weren't my buddy, you'd be face-first in the nearest dumpster right about now.'

His promised meatloaf now laid in the belly of the beast…an unforgiving, two-timing chump chimp of a beast. He would forgive him, oh yes, the hero always acts as the higher man-err, EVO…after changing his fur shampoo to a rather dark shade of blue, of course. It would be totally hilarious; Rex was sure that the only way to remove the Prussian blue dye was either tint it another color, or cut it off now and wait several chaffing months later. Rex inwardly chuckled at his deviousness. There was no way Rex could pass that opportunity up, but, back to business.

"Nothing out of the ordinary; eat, sleep, sharpen my aim at the range…" Bobo sat up, looking right into Rex, no, through him. That was just creepy, too creepy for Rex's standards. The chimp was, by any and all standards, examining. Examining what you may ask? Everything a meticulous obsessive compulsive person would think of.

'What was Six's game? What are you aiming for?' Mused Bobo, as his eyes dug deeper into the subject of a certain agent's dealings.

But before he could further delve into this perplexing and probably disastrous situation, he remembered that the action of staring at someone for long periods of time was considered…weird by our local Rex.

"Umm, yeah, so why did you have to eat MY meatloaf that was made for ME?" argued Rex, tapping his foot to meet every syllable and to only further his growing irritation. He wasn't going to back down from the perturbing stare, partially because he wanted answers for his now growling stomach and partially because Bobo, no, everyone was acting totally weird. It really pissed Rex off when he couldn't control anything in his amnestic existence.

"Look here, first of all, I am the one who cooks the meals, Six didn't do squat. Next, I was hungry; I wasn't going to let one of _my_ creations go to waste, so I ate it. So don't get your diaper in a bunch kid, just relax." Bobo leaped off the bed, stomped onto the tile floor, and began to make his way to the door when he heard Rex call out.

"Hey, Bobo, can you just make me another? I'm kinda hungry still and…I'm sorry," by the time Rex finished his sentence, he looked like a kicked puppy. Bobo knew that Rex could totally act, but also knew that this wasn't a hurt, teary-eyed façade. Bobo thought that maybe now would be a good time to ask him and hopefully get his mind off of that sneaky agent.

Bobo walked toward Rex and gave him a few hardy slaps on the back in an attempt to reassure the melancholy hero, giving a cheerful smile to seal the deal. Looking around, Bobo noticed just how bland his room was. It was rather pathetic actually; how could Providence take such terrible care of their 'secret weapon' against the rise in EVOs and against Van Kleiss and the Pack? It just made no sense. But that was why Bobo was here, he'd keep the peace between Rex and the rest of Providence. He'd just need to give Rex some confidence boosting and might as well catch up on his own agenda.

"Sure thing, champ, all's ya gotta do is ask. By the way, did you happen to come across a contract paper for one of those scientists around here?" he asked inquisitively, hoping not to arouse suspicion. He hated having to manipulate his best friend, but he needed to get some dirt on this white-collar. He did some research on his own and dug up a whole conspiracy. He wasn't going to drag his comrades into this, which was why he was doing it solo. However, there were plenty of risks to go along with it.

"Oh…um, oh yeah, there was an oddball in the stack of papers, so I set it aside," said Rex. He turned around from Bobo to reach out toward a section of his desk that was spared from Bobo's 'reorganizing' and pulled out a stabled packet of papers. The packet itself was quite thin and flimsy, but the majority content of the papers were mostly blacked out with sharpie.

"The name of the doctor or whatever is…some dude who just initialed it W.D.P." spoke Rex; he then set the paper aside, just to have it snatched by Bobo who quickly thanked him.

"Wait! Where are you going with that? I'll need to file that away, and if not, my ears are gonna fall off from being lectured by Si-" Rex stopped, and Bobo narrowed his eyes from the quite obvious turmoil his companion was going through…He was so going to talk to Six. What was he thinking? Leading Rex on just for the sake of his secret mission; albeit that he hadn't a clue what it detailed, he was sure it was for no good whatsoever, concerning Rex specifically. Trust was always something that the monkey knew never to give away willy-nilly, but Rex and he shared the closest friendship anyone could have, and that meant that he knew that Rex had fallen for the agent, subconsciously or not.

"Slow down cowboy, this is part of my 'spring cleaning' too, I was assigned to gather missing papers and devices located throughout the base. Don't worry," said Bobo, he patted Rex on the shoulder and motioned him to follow suit to the kitchen where Rex quickly trailed.

Whisking through the door of Rex's undersized room, Bobo made a beeline for the kitchen area of the base. It was relatively close to where Rex was being tested, so they made quick time. Rex struck up a conversation, too bored of just walking.

"So…Bobo, what else did you need to search for, besides this packet of papers?" Asked Rex, curious of exactly how much work the _ever dedicated _Bobo was put through.

"Oh, this and that. I was assigned to pick up those papers, a misplaced engine sprocket, and several boxes of equipment…oh and that meatloaf that Six stole," Bobo didn't think that his false alibi would come up, but he was quick on his feet.

"Wait. Six stole the meatloaf? I thought he made it."

"Hey, don't forget kid that I'm the only one who knows how to cook that junk you love so much," said Bobo.

'He did have a point. Where else would Six be able to acquire meatloaf in this whole facility other than from Bobo himself?'

"Ah, I see," spoke Rex in a contemplative manner. It was then that they were stopped by the kitchen doors. Rex made his way to the dining table, while Bobo continued through a pair of steel doors to the right. The table Rex sat at was made of oak and cedar. It gave off a sort of earthy smell and that relaxed Rex enough to whistle while he waited for his beloved meatloaf.

After a terribly long wait, Rex finally got his well-deserved lunch. It seemed that the fifteen year old still had an appetite which inwardly pleased the chimp. Bobo just laughed at his antics and kept his thoughts from breaching the surface.

Rex looked just like a regular non-EVO teen who didn't have a care in the world…perhaps the last part was true, but still. The look on Rex's face reminded him of just how awful the whole situation was. Here was a super-powered fifteen year old who wasn't even a legal adult in most countries, and the weight of the world might as well be placed on his shoulders. He was possibly the only hope Providence had to combat the growing EVO plague. It was disgustingly ironic, that they'd just use Rex as a puppet or a lab-rat and not the troubled teen Bobo could see. The same teen that was shoveling meatloaf down like there was no tomorrow. Oh, how he hated the world and its twisted facts and unforgiving truths.

The world could wait though. Aside from all the drama going around Rex and his easily damaged psyche, Bobo knew that deep down, things were going to plummet to ground zero and it wasn't going to be pretty. Something big was going down and Bobo would get to it, even if it meant risking his life; because his friend's well-being was completely worth it. Sadly, it would take time, and time was against him. Whatever _he_ had in store for them, it was never good for any of them. No, it wasn't going to be fine. 'Don't worry' was the last thing Rex should have been doing at the moment.


	3. Catastrophic Contraption

***EDITED***Okay, last update for this weekend. Thank you Kereea and Clarrolx for the input, definitely appreciated. Anyway, this story has not found a warm home for a beta to take care of!~ Disclaimer: I own zip.

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'Don't make a sound. Don't make a sound. Don't make a single fucking sound!' Rex screamed inwardly as he crept through the dimly-lit corridors of the underbelly of Providence base. Swift, yet silent, was his heart pounding trek past the caged sleeping EVOs and the vile, grotesque monstrosities behind the test tubes. Rex's stamina slowly waned as he poked his head around a corner and entered yet another dank, foreboding dissection lab.

He crept past the security cameras and reset them when needed to prevent any alarms from setting off; thankfully, there wasn't a single person he could have bumped into as of yet…which was what freaked him out the most. 'Well, at least the beasts went back to sleep,' thought Rex.

He didn't want to die, no sir; in fact, dying was the last thing on his to-do list. Although, _how_ he would die was one of his higher priorities.

'Would I rather disturb the obviously super-powered EVOs around me and get shred to tiny little Rex Bits? Or perhaps get locked away for life in a far away prison made _especially_ for me for trespassing into probably _the_ most restricted sectors of the base? Then again, I didn't even know there were levels this deep into the base.'

Shaking himself from his musing, he focused on the dangerous task at hand: get out as fast as possible without getting caught or dying. This plan, though simple and straightforward, was littered with poorly thought outlines and goals; Rex was more of a 'big-picture' kind of person and didn't offer much effort to detail. Maybe it was due to the fact that he just so happened to NOT leave a trail of breadcrumbs or string to find his way back, then maybe he'd know where the heck he was. Honestly, Rex's sense of direction was one of, if not THE worst in the whole base. This place was more like the underground catacombs of Italy to our disoriented hero.

It would seem that no matter what would happen, it was up to Rex himself to choose how everything would play out. He wouldn't let his fate or destiny decide the road, or in this case corridor, that Rex should walk. Now was the time to act, however, he would have to stray from the usual 'fight now, ask questions later' tactic and be intelligent about his next move. Despite, these overbearing problems, Rex pushed onward, whether he climbed closer to the exit or delved deeper into the black abyss…the black abyss known as the Dorvic Sector.

Backtrack to earlier that day; Rex awoke to the sounds of sirens and flashing red lights. Apparently, a horde of EVOs were approaching the base as Knight's voice boomed through one of the various intercoms nearby, warning everyone to prepare for battle. White Knight was positively white with fear from being contaminated by the nanite desperados. Rex, who just loved to kick some evil EVO butt, was just about to jump into action, when he realized he was in a cage…a pristine, clean, with-all-the-necessities-a-teen-could-need containment unit, but nonetheless, a cage.

"Who did this?" yelled Rex, who was, by now confused and afraid, the ingredients needed to create the perfect batch of berserk teenage angst. He was struggling to free himself to no avail. It seemed that the cage was also equipped with a nanite suppressant, so his powers were at the bare minimum, even if he were to go buck wild. Beads of sweat clung at his brow as his chest heaved from overexertion. That was when he heard a nearby intercom activate.

"Rex, calm down."

It. Was. Six. 'That bastard. After everything we've been through, he-'

"Doctor Holiday has asked for your detainment to ensure you don't overload your system while she is away. She's come to the understanding that due to recent overuse, your nanites are beginning to break down. So you'll be detained and prohibited from fighting EVOs until she perfects a serum to reenergize your nanites and encourage your nanite energy levels to rise back to normal," Rex sighed. Inhaling, Rex slowly opened his mouth, preparing for his input to the situation.

"So, what the fuck is up with you guys, all of a sudden? First, you act all weird on me and next thing I know, I'm chained up and thrown into a cage like I have the plague or something! What gives you guys the right to do this to me? I'm every part of the team as you, and Bobo, and-wait, where's Bobo?" Rex finally realized that his simian sidekick was nowhere to be found.

"He was…convinced that leaving you in Holiday's care would be beneficial for the entirety, however, he strictly informed me not to take part in any direct restraining, drugging, or take extra precautions against you. Be aware Rex, that I am simply performing my duty and-", "Shut it!" Shouted Rex; he couldn't believe what he was hearing, his best friend…leaving him here.

He couldn't take it anymore, and out of blind fury, Rex was able to summon up all his strength and smashed a reasonably sized hole in the wall behind him. His metallic arms shattering instantly against the crumbling wall, a pile of rubble was all that remained as the dust cleared.

"Damn, have my nanites really weakened that much?" Alarms sounded, but due to the EVO-induced commotion beyond the base, the majority of Providence was outside battling the renegade creatures and the rest were too preoccupied supporting those outside already. However, Rex paid little attention to this and simply ran, coughing from breathing the fumes of crackling equipment. Said equipment began to smoke from sparking wires and caused the automated fire sprinklers to activate. Thus, Rex escaped soaked to his socks.

He ran, and ran, and ran, until he couldn't see where he was going from his tears building up. The anger and sadness of being betrayed boiling up within him. When he finally stopped running, he was spent. His were clothes soaked with water, sweat, and tears; his mind buzzed with helplessness as he gave a few hardy, labored gasps. He slumped down onto the nearest wall, sat on the apparently moist ground beneath, and closed his eyes.

During the explosion and obvious escape of the detainee, Six turned off his communication device. Looking back at what seemed to be hundreds of EVOs across the landscape, he gave an exasperated sigh, grateful for the momentary peace. Standing up from behind some fallen rocks, a temporary wall, he prepared his mind, blades ready to rend the incoming attackers. He whispered, "Don't do anything reckless Rex, please…"

When Rex came to, he couldn't see anything, shooting up; he quickly developed a severe headache and mild nausea. Falling back toward the cold…metallic floor? 'Oh, I'm still within the base.'

After his bouts of pain slowly receded, he looked around and what he saw, quite frankly, disturbed him. To his left, he saw a long winding hallway and at the end were a pair of well sophisticated security doors which lead to who knows where. But the strange part was that similar hallways and doors awaited him from all sides! Rex didn't remember using his powers or opening doors, but then again, he was an emotional wreck that lost his only apparent friends, and on top of that, he STILL had that amnesia.

Returning his gaze to the first doors, he read the little inscription next to it in fine, gold lettering, 'Private Sector 15: Quadrant 2: Dorvic Sector.' Reading on, Rex gasped in astonishment, both Holiday's and Knight's names were on the co-founders list. He could understand that Knight pretty much funded the entire thing, so the arrogant snob would obviously be 'honored' in such a fashion, but Holiday? Rex thought that she was an awesome…well, emphasis on _was_ an awesome scientist, but to be that high up on the 'food chain?'

'Ugh…too much thinking,' shirking off his thoughts and the headaches that accompanied them, Rex used his sporadic powers and after a few mistrials, finally opened the door.

After entering the sector, a huge tremor, probably from the battle, shook the base and caused a short circuit in the whole building's mainframe, which forced it to tap into the reserves. Thus, the doors immediately sealed themselves preventing Rex from passing through them and forcing him to move on. The lights also temporarily shut down and flickered back to life in the form of soft, dim-lit red fluorescence. Thankfully, the air vents were still functioning allowing fresh air to be pumped back into the no longer secluded rooms and into the lungs of our broken hero.

Quite like the saying, 'don't judge a book by its cover,' Rex's mind relapsed his own saying: Never think a lab will be high-tech and well maintained just because its doors were made out of chrome…Anyway, the lab, by anyone's perspective was a dump. All of the rooms were trashed, none of the glass vials seemed to be intact, and papers were strewed across the floor. It was amazing to think that the lights and vents were still functioning.

As he ventured onward, he could have sworn to have heard noises deeper into the darkening passage way. To some, no, most people, simply being trapped in a dark lab with the idea itching at the back of your head that there's a sinister monster just waiting to strike would drive them insane. But, Rex was above that, he lusted after these moments, where nothing but adrenaline pushed you forward. And so he did, deeper and deeper into the darkness.

A bump, a thump, a clatter of books, and a howl of pain. Rex went into animal mode, surprise gripping him as his eyes strained in the limited light. Still as a statue, he didn't dare release his breath for fear of disturbing the now emanating, crushing silence of the gigantic lab. This is just where we left off…

Rex made a dash through the hall and into a different section of the macabre mad-house. As he came to a stop, he uncovered a dead end, but not any dead end, a pair of doors whose size was probably double that of the entry doors Rex made his way through in the beginning. He marveled at the sheer quality of the machines that secured the door tightly shut. 'Wait, secured? That means the machines are operational, this might be a way out.'

The time of elation was short, however, when his eyes gazed upon the wording of the doors, 'Private Sector 1: Quadrant 1: Dorvic Sector-Project REX.' Rex instantly paled, realization slamming him head-on. A mountain of questions, thoughts, and emotions bombarded his mind as he attempted to file them away to stop the flood of pain in his head. He couldn't take it anymore and so, Rex threw up.

Rex could taste the bitter fluid as it stuck to his mouth, even after spitting. However, that wasn't his main concern. He was assaulted by an explosion of questions, pain, ideas, more pain, emotions, more pain-"Stop!" Rex shouted.

His mind slowed down to a halt; nothing entered his mind as a single thought dominated his actions: He was going to get answers. Now.

He readied himself and called upon his nanites that seemed to have strengthened a little due to his determination and managed to open the doors wide open. The first thing that caught his eyes was a bulky, silent machine in the center of the expansive, yet cluttered room. It was apparently turned off, so naturally, Rex stepped forward to place his hand on it to activate it, forgoing safety. Just as he was about to touch it, he heard Six scream out behind him, "Rex! Get away from that thing!"

But it was too late. A piercing scream echoed through the dark hallways and the remaining members, who completely obliterated the EVO army, gathered toward the noise. Rex saw white, absolutely blinding white. An indescribably white mass…Rex wasn't sure it could be called 'white.' But his thoughts began to fade just as the terrifying whiteness quickly receded to a blurred vision of Six running toward him. Six scooped him up and shifted him around so Rex's neck wasn't strained, but he couldn't feel anything anyway. Six began to talk to him in hurried outbursts, checking for vitals probably. Rex's mind was jumbled; he couldn't tell what was up or down and didn't care. He tried his best to focus on the words Six was relaying to him, but it was muffled and was getting more and more difficult to discern. Eventually, his eyesight gave way too, and his world went black.


	4. Vengeful Virus

***EDITED***Okay, there's a bit of violence in this chapter...and for whoever loves the color white, I apologize, I personally love white, but it is necessary for the plot to develop, seriously. Anyways, there's a Silent Hill reference in this chapter, can any of you hard-core gamers out there spot this?...you probably can...subtlety is not one of my strong points. Disclaimer: Nothing do I own. DX

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What a sickening color white is. Nothing particularly interesting with such a bland emptiness, nothing at all. Rex loved color, black was fine too, but white…well, white was just absurd. It was a blank slate, nothing to 'see.' No vibrancy or lively scenes; completely void and dull. For the most part, Rex hated white the most because it reminded him of his amnesia. All the possible memories, sweet and bitter alike, all lost to the gaping hollowness. Oh, how he despised it.

Lost in the virtual purgatory he was faced with, courtesy of his own mind, he began to stir. At first, it was a simple buzzing. Nothing too extraordinary, just a faint noise scratching from the edges of his already less-than-animated subconscious. Suddenly as he conceived the noises, he was walking, walking toward the sounds as they graced his ears, growing louder and more discernible. He was ecstatic to escape this pallid fabrication and move on with his life.

Rex woke up, heaving from his stupor, with beads of sweat dripping from his face and chest, and the first thing that struck him was the feeling of being constrained, confused, and cold…He was strapped to a rusted, metal gurney. A fucking medical gurney. He was left helpless in the middle of a dark, secluded surgical room…probably within the Alchemilla.

Rex tried to move, but he couldn't get any response to his nanites and simple muscle power wasn't going to cut it. He began to panic and drew in a breath; only to have it expelled and have gagging noises accompany the exhalation. Absolutely putrid; the air was stale and smelled of gore and death. Even after forcing out the acrid air, it still felt disgusting. Rex felt as if tiny needle sized maggots were now crawling, gnawing, and multiplying within his lungs. The pain was white hot and numbing at the same time. It was coursing through his veins now and he was sure that he was going to die in this rotten hell hole. Rex immediately snapped himself from his self-inflicted delusions and focused on the matter at hand.

He closed his eyes and realized that he desperately needed air, objectionable or not, so in tiny gasps he finally accommodated his burning lungs with it. Eventually he grew accustomed to the sensations, which also waned thankfully. Releasing a sigh of relief, Rex took his time in listening to anything and everything around him. Rex could hear nothing outside of the room he was trapped in, but still, he sensed that he wasn't alone.

At that Rex could grasp from his dilapidated hearing was dead silence. That was until he saw them, screaming. Though he could only see the shadows, generated from some unknown light source, they were trapped too, by the looks of it. There were two of them. Both were fleeing down the halls, both sobbing and pleading for their lives.

'Their voices sound so…familiar…' thought Rex, fixated with the strange cries of pain, unaware of the current situation like he was frozen in time. He saw one of the shadows trip and fall, only to be slashed to pieces by a third shadow. All alone, the last shadow and its master's voice grew larger and larger, until they met.

It was like a twisted fun house; where all the mirrors were stretched and misshaped so the reflected image was morphed into something…deformed. This was what Rex paralleled as he gazed cloudily at his own counterpart. The shadow Rex begged him to hurry, when the warped clone suddenly let loose an inaudible scream. Twitching mechanical tentacles tore from the unfortunate Rex as it fell in a crumbled heap. It shook and gave one last sharp ear-splitting shriek as our true Rex, unable to cover his ears, slammed his eyes shut. When he opened them, the nightmarish apparitions had vanished as quickly as they emerged.

Well, Rex was quickly shaken from his morbid hallucinations to hear footsteps; although he couldn't see anything past the ceiling and the room that was still within his now-limited view, he could recognize those footsteps anywhere. They were sharp, coordinated, and cadenced like a well-trained army. Agent Six wearing his usual dark green attire walked ever-so-slowly toward our bound hero. Rex, probably twice in the same day, felt his heart skip a beat and his gut clench simultaneously.

Six. Had. A scalpel.

He had to be dreaming, there was absolutely no way that this could have been happening. He pleaded, he screamed, he kicked and struggled but to no avail…He could only watch as Six, completely stoic in the matter, took the dreaded tapered steel as it glinted in the malice and darkness, and drove it into Rex's chest cavity. There was so much pain and blood. It was spewing from his wound, which was growing in size do to repeated plunges, and even the room was being splattered sanguine to the point where it was nothing but red. All that Rex could see was red and everything he felt was pain. It was excruciating; never had Rex dealt with such a wild frenzy gnawing at every nerve-ending throughout his trembling body. All he wanted was for it to stop, the pain, the blood, the fact that it was Six that was doing this gruesome act that belonged in a horror movie…And then, he woke up.

He gasped, eyes bloodshot and wide, and his heart pounding and _thankfully_ not torn to shreds as his hands quickly confirmed.

'It felt so real,' thought Rex. He just couldn't describe the total terror that filled his being from when he heard a knock from the door straight across from him. He had yet to realize that he was in a hospital.

Rex's mind screwed himself over and his vocal cords blared and didn't stop until he realized that a hand was gently reassuring him that he was not dead nor in any danger. He felt like crying, tears already building up from his eyes, but he was still a teenage young man and said young man's masculinity told him to suck it up. Blinking the tears away, he reciprocated the soothing hug of his doctor and looked up and said, "Hey thanks, Doc-"

The rest of Rex's words were still trapped within his larynx as his esophagus quickly gulped a non-existent lob of saliva as he stared into the face of NOT the caring, loving, oh-so-kind Doctor Holiday. No, it was far worse.

The sound of fist striking face, the crash of some equipment, a grunt of pain, and an inhale later, "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"

This maddening tirade of insults, warnings, and cursing lasted for as long as the disgruntled Six took to get off the ground and defuse the quite hostile situation, which meant clamping his hand over the hysterical Rex.

Agent Six was quite caught off-guard. He never expected Rex to so blatantly, and unexpectedly, strike him. He knew that the current state of affairs called for more attention and so he aggressively and penitently restrained Rex to tell him one thing and one thing only.

"Rex, get out." Nothing but silence. Rex left his mouth agape as Agent Six got up, turned around and began walking to the door when Rex's brain began to function again and realized the complete and utter preposterousness of the circumstances unfolding before him. Not only had the events that left him hospitalized taken place, but HE of all people was the one to tell him to leave? Rex opened his mouth to tell Six off, when Six beat him to it.

"This is absolutely unacceptable Rex. Not only did you blatantly disregard everyone's best intentions to keep you safe, you destroyed Providence property that surely cost the organization millions, you trespassed into forbidden sectors of the base, and you have now become utterly useless to Providence's goals." Rex was about to counter Six's argument like how they restrained him without permission.

'That was out of self-defense. Then he…wait…did he say useless?'

Rex's questions were quickly answered when he, for the first time since he could remember while not being affected by his amnesia, felt completely void of any and all presence of his nanites. How could he describe it? It wasn't like he remembered what it was like before he acquired them.

'Was this empty feeling what normal people felt like?' Rex was devastated.

"You should have noticed by now, you have indeed lost your nanites and subsequent powers therein. Numerous tests by Doctor Holiday and other top scientists have confirmed this." Rex was too busy freaking out from the lack of nanites within him to speak anymore.

"Furthermore, White Knight, has declared that since you are deemed a drawback to Providence, Providence, its members, and facilities have henceforth nullified its ties to you. You are not welcome back to Providence and are prohibited from communicating with its members due to your recklessness and accountability. Good bye, Rex." And with that, Six curtly shifted his footing and turned around once again and grasped the cold knob of the general hospital they occupied. As he was turning it, there was a crash as the sound of shattering window glass met his ears. "Rex…"

He jumped from the broken window onto the sun-baked roof of a conjoined building; he was in New York apparently. But he could care less, the world could have been ending and Rex would have just kept running. Where he was running to? He was more preoccupied with the crushing thought of being cast out of the only home and family he'd come to know, appreciate, trust, and eventually, love. All of that, all his ties, his friends and family, burned away in the all-encompassing inferno that surged through his mortality. He didn't even realize he'd almost been struck by a car in a busy intersection.

The honking of cars and corrosive insults met his ears and he realized that he'd nearly been killed.

'Why did this have to happen?' inwardly cursed Rex. He, while ignoring the traffic induced road-rage, continued running down the slowly darkening sidewalks of the not-as-busy city as the sun met its last rounds across the sky.

Anyone who visited the city would grace its honor with compliments and cheery critique. They would coo over the lovely city lights as dusk approached and the wonderful people that resided there. Rex had no such luck. He tore through crusty alleyways, ran through crowds hiding questionable characters, and stumbled on the cracked, weed infested sidewalks with only the occasional piece of chewed gum to keep his feet company. His reflections reverted back to what the heck was going on.

Rex thought back to what Six had said; that everyone had abandoned him just because he didn't have his powers anymore. This was like when he awoke from the prison no less than two days ago, yet this rendition was infinitely worse. At least they would've let him out, but now, he was discarded like a bad hand in a poker game. Completely useless. Never had Rex left so isolated, so unbearably lonesome in his existence. "Why couldn't that dream be true? At least then, I wouldn't have to deal with all this shit!" Rex spat in his depression induced lassitude.

Rex's vision once again became blurry as he picked up the pace. If there was any place, he would…no, could go, it would be this place. Here stood the once proud, happy hero, striped of his powers and reduced to begging. The home Rex was standing before was a relatively normal house that resided in a relatively normal neighborhood, with relatively normal people. The population would increase by one by the end of the night.

Rex frantically knocked on the door, backed up a few steps, and waited for the longest twenty six seconds of his life, when the door slid open.

"Rex! What are you doing here? What happened to you? You look like a wreck!"

"Oh, I guess I do…Hey, um, can I come inside, Noah?"


	5. Analytic Acrimony

Alright, this will be the last update for the weekend. Yes, I know this is a little early, but I've adamantly decided that I simply must fix all of my earlier chapters. Don't worry, I won't change the plot nor anything important, simply add to the detail and explain some things further.

Oh yeah...I KNOW WHAT YOU THINK, AND ITS NOT TURNING INTO NOAH-REX, THIS STORY IS STRICTLY SIX-REX. This is all part of the plot. Disclaimer: I own myself and nothing else.

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Here was Rex, standing before an old acquaintance. Sure he was friends with the blond, but then the sting of betrayal severed that tie. However, as quickly as Rex lashed out against Noah, he forgave him after the EVO habitat incident ended. They were pretty much on neutral terms, they still hung out…but not as much, if at all, actually. Rex just supposed that their true natures, their personalities, were just incompatible. They simply drifted apart, that is, until now. Rex watched Noah open the door, as a flood of artificial light blanketed Rex and kept the ever darkening night from ensnaring him. From perplexed to shock, Noah was about to speak when his words got caught in his throat. As a result, he hurriedly motioned Rex to follow.

Noah stepped back from the threshold to make way for Rex to enter. The wooden floorboards made the tiniest of squeaks as Rex's shoes added an extra burden to the aging wood and marched into his potential new home. As he ventured further into his now worrisome host's dwelling, said host quietly closed the door to stop all the cool evening air from intruding into the cozy abode and shut out any wandering eyes.

Rex's gaze was met with a quaint living room garnished with what every normal teen would have; ranging from a television with the latest game counsel to a functioning laptop in the corner of the room. To his left, Rex noticed a stairwell, probably for the second floor where the bedrooms were located. Adorning the walls were photos of people Rex didn't recognize, probably relatives. Although some of them seemed stiff-necked enough to be a part of Providence, but Rex didn't comment on this. Besides the familial snapshots, however, there were various paintings strewn across the house, some landscape and other still-life. All of them were precise and beautifully painted with meticulous detail-oriented strokes; apparently _someone_ was an avid painter.

Stirring from his pensive behavior, Rex now found himself in the kitchen, being guided by Noah to sit down so to have a proper conversation. There wasn't a table to situate himself on, instead they met around am obsidian countertop that was built into the house's frame and matched the flow of the kitchen quite well. The kitchen itself had a dark beige and black color scheme. The walls further decorated with magnificent paintings. As they both sat down, Rex was silently trembling from trepidation.

"So, Rex, what's going on?" Noah went straight to the point, despite the harsh bluntness of the question. Noah focused on Rex, knowing full well that whatever happened was grievous enough where Agent Six, or any of the other Providence members, had yet to show up and reclaim their 'number one asset.' Along with Bobo, Noah was another highly intellectual individual who could easily decipher the most complex of situations that required a delicate yet confident approach.

Just as an extra precaution, Noah had purposely walked ahead of Rex while he was distracted his house and its amenities in order to sit on the seats that faced the kitchen windows. This way, Rex would be inconspicuously forced to sit facing Noah and away from the window. Just in case any…unnecessary and highly unwanted visitors make their presence known.

Rex, meanwhile, had taken it upon himself to stare intently into the obsidian countertop that shone brightly against the kitchen lights. Glaring back at him was a completely different Rex. This doppelganger was ragged, shaking, and had fear plastered across his livid face. This mirrored the feelings he had for himself as well as all the other members that abandoned him incredibly accurately. He was tired, confused, apprehensive, and above all, angry.

"Rex? Is everything o-" "NO! Nothing's okay Noah!" Cried Rex as tears, once again, began to blur his vision. Nothing good ever came about when Rex cried; sure it relieved pent-up anger, but it obscured his vision so he couldn't see or fight. Tears also revealed just how miserable this misfit hero was.

"Noah, nothing's going right for me. Everything's gone wr-wrong. My-my supposed friends…all left me! I-I'm through with Providence!" Rex was gasping for air after every word, that he shoved every ounce of his shattered being into, and all the while, breaking down to reveal a little more of his inner psyche; he felt alone, angry, and without hope.

Noah sat, completely dumbfounded by the shivering wreck that was steadily worsening by the minute. So he did what he thought suited the situation and hugged Rex. Rex didn't flinch from the warm arms that wrapped around him, comforting him, soothing him. Rex still wasn't in full control of his emotions, but as time passed and as his eyes found its satisfaction in the amount of brine produced, he finally stopped. He felt great, better than great actually as the warmth encompassed him and made his torso tingle, but just slightly. But as quickly as it came, it left as Noah let go and Rex inwardly scolded himself for thinking such things and went to continue the conversation.

"Thanks Noah; you're the only one I could have thought to count on…you-you're the only one I can trust," Rex reciprocated the fond embrace, but only just, as he let out a breathe he didn't realize he was holding.

"It's fine Rex. I understand. Everything's gonna be just fine. Besides, I think you're better off without them, they can't be trusted," said Noah, eyes narrowing in contemplation.

"I guess, I mean, you've had more time away from Providence. How long has it been since you left?"

"About a month now, I can't believe how sordid an organization Providence is." It had actually been more than a month, two months in fact when Rex's other companion had deserted Providence. He gave up being a spy for White Knight because it clashed with his morals. He was ecstatic to leave, but a certain fifteen year old was quite saddened. It wasn't until the EVOs began to rampage did Rex finally let Noah go.

As the conversation went on, Rex found it curious that not only were they alone without any parent or another soul to speak of, but there weren't any signs of adults anywhere. In fact, there wasn't anything in the house that a teen wouldn't have, and nothing an adult would.

"Hey, Noah, where's your parents?" Inquired Rex, curiosity getting the better of him as his mannerisms flew out the metaphoric door.

"Rex, I haven't lived with my parents since they passed, remember? And I thought we've gone over this already, I can take care of myself. You on the other hand are going to stay here until you can get back on your feet," Noah declared confidently. His life seemed so foreign to Rex. Since when did Noah tell him that he was orphaned?...Well, that would definitely explain the need for cash when he first joined Providence to spy on him. But, in the end, it really didn't matter. Not with Noah around anyway, Rex could easily forget those bastards for casting him aside. Providence could deal with the rising EVO count by themselves.

And with that, Rex rose out of his chair and followed Noah through the house and up the stairs he'd seen prior to their little talk. Giving the living room a final once over before he lost sight of it from the wooden banister that laid before him, he realized that the room followed the same color scheme as the kitchen. The furniture was embellished with shades of almond and misty taupe. The walls also followed the rigid dyes that decorated the home, which was remarkably clean and organized in Rex's opinion.

As they climbed the flight, Rex nearly fell from tripping on a set of stairs he'd skipped. Reflexively, Noah caught Rex's hand and pulled him up. His hand where he'd been touched had also felt a feeling similar to…prickling? Well, the skin on his hand as well as his and Noah's face went slightly red and they quickly continued up the stairs in silence.

Rounding the short stairwell, they crossed a viridian tinted carpet that covered the entirety of the hallway and what seemed to continue into each room. Their footsteps were muffled as they walked toward the first door on the left. Noah took the door knob and opened the door in a fluid sweeping motion, causing a slight stir in the wind which graced Rex's clothed legs.

The room itself followed a totally radical format compared to those of the lower floor. The bistre furniture covered the room that somehow made it feel cozy, yet spacious. While the walls and ceiling were a softer toned crimson. Splashing in the viridian carpet, the room was a complete eye-full for Rex and he laughed for the first time since this tragic escapade. As an added bonus, there wasn't a speck of white anywhere to speak of. It was perfect.

"There, you can stay here for the night, Rex. If you need me, I'll be in the room down the hall on the right," Noah was such a caring person, Rex realized. In a mere twenty minutes, he'd agreed to allow Rex, an old acquaintance, to come into his home and live with him. He was such a great guy, albeit slightly naïve. Before Noah left the room, Rex called out to him to ask him one last question while standing in his new sleeping quarters; nothing like his white cubical-for-a-room.

"By the way, Noah, how'd you get all this? Aren't you still a little young to be paying the bills? And I'm pretty sure you're not a trained assassin or anything." Noah stopped at his question, and turned his head to look back at his bewildered friend.

"Oh that? I've been skipping around different odd-ended jobs before I was even acquainted with Providence. It's totally fine. Now that I've cut my losses, I can show you how too. Anyw-Oh, where are my manners, you must be starving. What do you wanna eat?" Inquired Noah as he began his descent down the stairs once again, only to pause to listen to Rex's request.

"Actually, Noah, today's been a heck of an overload…I'm just going to bed early," said Rex, punctuating his message with a wide yawn.

"Alright, you can go to bed, and I'll see you in the morning," replied Noah as he continued down the stairs to double-check he'd locked up. You can never be too careful.

Thus, Rex was left to himself as he listened to the dwindled New York traffic outside. He didn't care about eating right now, or hygiene. He, at least, didn't smell like wet chimpanzee.

Rex grimaced at his own thoughts. Now wasn't the time to reminisce over a lost cause. Rex then shed his jacket and gave a sigh of relief as the cool evening air met with his hot skin. It was such a relief to be able to relax. No curfews, no stale bedroom, no restrictions, and most importantly, no Six. He could do this; there was no reason to freak out.

'There's nothing that can stop me. Everything will be just fine.' Rex climbed under the cool sheets of the comforter and stretched his body, eliciting a muted moan from the teen as he relaxed into the quickly warming sheets, courtesy of his body heat. He couldn't help it, he felt so giddy and it was like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was like a paid vacation without any obnoxious agents glaring at his every movement like sickly, starving vultures. He was free to choose his own life.

"We could…finally…get to play…basketball…" Rex closed his eyes, and sleep took him. That night, there wasn't a single nightmare for our hero, only a content smile that graced his face.


	6. Elaborate Eccentricities

Hohohoho, I actually updated this during my week long trip!~ Anyway, the plot thickens as finally Six gets ordered to 'you-know-what.' Anyway, I'll try to update on a more constant basis, it'll just depend on my writer's block, my betas, and my computer battery. Which, BTW, is totally short, I mean, the battery can't last ONE hour without a chord, but I'm ranting now DX. Thanks for the reviews KJSOARES2, Shadow-L-Chan, Clarrlox, and an anonymous reviewer!~ Disclaimer: I don't own Generator Rex, its characters, or Rex's ass...*drools*...anyway, onto the story XD.

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A grayish dawn emerged from the darkness, the light steadily strengthening. As the clouds and skyline became ever more defined, the inhabitants of the Big Easy slowly began their morning rituals. Whether it was wake up with a cup of coffee, sleep the day away, or make one's way to work, it was relatively noisy. After all, this was New York City. On a side note, it became blatantly obvious to Noah last night that loud noises didn't bother Rex at all…it seemed he was an incredibly deep sleeper and that he just wouldn't wake up until his internal clock said so. Apparently, Rex was stubborn awake as well as asleep, if not more.

The sun's rays broke past the shining sky scrapers of New York, and the roof tops and trees of the suburban homes nestled in Inwood, Manhattan. The warm beams made their way through the window of a two story home and onto the face of our well rested hero.

As sleep's hold grew weaker by the second, Rex began to stir and gave a contented sigh to boot. His eyes slowly opened to his new, highly comforting surroundings as memories of the past two days crept forward. The cage, that device, Six, and…Noah. It was all thanks to him that he was here in this comfy bed with what smelled like…bacon?

He heard his stomach rumble and reddened from the embarrassment; he hadn't eaten for quite some time, the last meal being that meatloaf Bobo made him. Stifling a second yawn, Rex stretched and felt the sudden urge to down a whole glass of ice cold water. He always hated that weird dry mouth feeling he got every time he woke up and vainly attempted to wet his tongue. This morning was no different, so he straightened himself up and began to shuffle his feet toward the door; thank God for carpets, Rex couldn't think what he'd do if his feet had to endure the pain of cold wood flooring. Rex had just touched the door knob when Noah called up to him from the kitchen downstairs.

"Hey, Rex! I could hear you getting out of bed. Do you think you could grab some towels and clothes from the room to the right? I think you'll feel a lot better after a quick shower," shouted Noah.

Apparently, this house was expansive enough to echo. Although, Rex promised himself that he wouldn't probe any further into the economic stability of his human savior. That would be totally 'not cool.' Opening the door and entering the hallway, he fumbled for a light switch as he was blind in the dark. The rest of the house was darker than pitch, except for downstairs where a steady stream of light and steam made its way up the stairs.

"Kay, I'll be down in a few minutes then," replied Rex, though he was hungry, he agreed that he desperately needed a rinse. Even he could smell the sweat and junk clinging to his clothes. Rex talked to himself saying, 'I was probably too tired, I'll get to it now.'

Finally locating the switch, which was on the opposite end of the hallway, he backtracked to the aforementioned room Noah spoke of. After opening it, he was faced with a vibrant landscape of crashing waves and sea foam. Turning the corner, past the painting, his feet twitched in slight discomfort as the tiles on the bathroom floor were chilled to the touch. The glass closet to his left was filled with different towels of all different sizes and on the counter were a pair of form-fitting jeans and a black t-shirt. It seemed that after his quick shower, he'd have to venture out into his friends house in commando…

"Well, we're both guys, it'll be alright," spoke Rex. He located the toilet and relieved himself. After which, Rex made his way to the walk-in shower. The doors were glass as well, but the steam would be a suitable curtain; there were three shower heads, two at the top facing from opposite sides of the shower, and one near the center that could be detached. The tiles of the shower were different shades of camel and wheat, much like the rest of the bathroom.

Rex shed his ruffled clothing and began turning the knobs to the farthest it would allow; Rex loved the heat. So much so, that once the water was running at his preferred temperature, the whole bathroom resembled a miniature sauna. Rex was relaxing in his makeshift hot springs, when he heard Noah call from the first floor.

"Rex! I'd like to say 'make yourself at home,' but I'm not made out of money, and all the hot water you're using is going to put a huge dent in my wallet _and_ my bank account!" Apparently, Noah was just slightly worried with the amount of hot water our scorching hot hero was using.

"Alight, I'll finish up in a minute or so," answered Rex. He quickly scrubbed himself down with a nearby bath scrubber and eyed a shampoo bottle. He sniffed it through the rising steam and noticed it had the hint of strawberries and…lemon? 'Oh well, can't be _that_ bad,' thought Rex.

After the wasteful water guzzling, Rex hastily donned his new attire. He felt a little awkward without any boxers or underwear to speak of, but at least he was in clean clothes. Perhaps he could ask Noah to get his old clothes cleaned. It couldn't hurt to just ask, after all, he provided all the amenities of a five-star hotel; it can't hurt to ask for a little laundry.

Opening the door, he was met with a gust of cold air as all the accumulated steam was sucked out like a vacuum. Shivering uncontrollably, he hurriedly grabbed a dry towel in the closet and used it as a temporary jacket and made his way to the kitchen.

The annoying stairs began to squeak to every step the covered teen made as he ventured down the stairs, one hand clasping the towel over him and the other on the wooden banister. The smell of bacon, eggs, and other delectable breakfast foods wavered in the air, greeting Rex and his rising anticipation. With his appetite reawakened, he quickly made his way to the kitchen where bright light was streaming into the room. What Rex saw next nearly made him clutch his sides in agonizing laughter.

"Wh-What are you wearing? I-Is that an apron?" Rex, being oh-so observant, noticed that Noah was indeed cooking, but his attire was rather…unusual to say the least. Noah wore a sunny green apron with citrine edges and was covered in sugar, vegetable sauce, and gravy. The bright green really brought out his eyes and hair; there weren't any laces though.

"You…hehehehe…you-wait, is that…meatloaf?" Rex, infamous conqueror of all meatloaf, had stopped dead in his charade and lunged toward the table. After all the work Noah put himself through, straining himself to wake up early enough to start cooking, slaving over a hot stove, and trying not to pop a gasket when his kitchen became a war zone. 'Oh, I am NOT cleaning this mess up. Well at least he's wearing the clothes I got him…and did he use my shampoo?'

Rex hadn't eaten this much in…since ever. Even during some of the holiday breaks and subsequent dinners at Providence, there was never _this much_ food. This was as if he died in his sleep and went to Rex Heaven! Anyway, as he was gorging himself, he realized that Noah was eating silently and quite eloquently too, as if he was a culinary poet. He was sitting upright, using his napkin when needed, making swift, yet constrained cuts into his food, and never did he make it look _so good_. Then again, _anyone_ who was eating next to Rex while there was meatloaf around looked like the Queen of England in comparison.

After the unforeseen buffet and Noah inwardly whimpering, Rex finally put down his mangled fork. Noah didn't even think it was humanly possible for anyone to eat _that_ much food and not be sent to the hospital from internal rupturing of the esophagus and stomach. Then again, just because Rex didn't have his EVO abilities didn't set him onto the same level of humans…Rex was just on a whole other level.

"Whew! I'm stuffed, thanks for the awesome spread Noah," complimented Rex, he gave an appreciative smile and patted his friend on the back for a job well done. Noah blushed slightly from Rex's approval. He wished that this could last forever, but he knew that it would be far more complex than this. There were many more obstacles to overcome until Rex was his, and _only_ his.

Meanwhile, a video screen blurred to life in a secluded room deep in Providence base; as the static began to clear, all that was left was the shadowy silhouette of White Knight.

"Agent Six, report," droned White. His repulsive, scratchy voice echoed through the dark room Six was typing from. The link being used was, by far, one of the most guarded electronic networks in the base. There were more programs meant to crush intruding viruses than giga-bytes in a supercomputer. As such, Six needed to constantly disengage these troublesome, though necessary, fail-safes by typing and retyping the access codes every so often.

"The message was delivered successfully. The subject had fled the premises with lower collateral damage than anticipated, then traveled to upper Manhattan to the living quarters of acquaintance Noah," White stiffened at the mention of Rex's companion. Knight then proceeded to deactivate several programs and the two way video conference lit up with color. Standing up, White made his way to the nearby refrigerator to grab some milk. White, the germophobe he was, had locked himself within a bubble for a room in which the only contacts outside were through video, intercom, and a tiny nuclear facility that literally cleansed milk and daily vitamins of all contaminants. NO ONE knew how he'd been able to remove any waste that would have certainly piled up…

"Agent Six, I order you to eliminate Rex-", "Certainly not...Sir. I simply don't see any reason why it would be pertinent to do away with-"

"Do NOT disagree with me, Agent Six. Any more insubordination and I will terminate your contract without a second thought," White spoke with a confident, yet malicious tone that only intensified with the calm glare he shot through the video link.

"Ye-yes, sir," stuttered Six; he had no leverage in the situation. All that he could do was obey Knight. If he refused, then his only method of retrieving the TRUTH and his past would be scrapped. This is what he _would have_ thought when he was first recruited into Providence. However, an unexpected factor came into play after a few days at the international government agency. This factor was Rex, _his_ Rex.

Even though he'd be White's lapdog, beckoning to his every call, he would rather bite the hand that held the ever-tightening leash around his neck, than be used to destroy his only light in his dark empty world. 'I'll save you Rex, even if it means bringing Providence crashing down.'

"Good. You are dismissed," Knight spat, his verbal venom spewing from every ounce of being as his eyes narrowed in disgust. The monitor went black, and Six gave a heavy sigh. If he'd ever pull this off, he'd need to come clean to a certain simian in Detention Cell Block Y. But first things first; Six pulled out his wireless interface, and dialed the third number on his list. After a few rings, a 'hello' echoed through the ear piece.

"Hey, I think it's about time that I took you up on that offer. Do you still remember those codes…yeah, those. Alright, I'll be outside in five." For the first time in months, Six finally dropped his emotionless mask, and a small smile found its way upon his face. 'It's not over yet. Just you wait.'


	7. Naïve Nanites

Thank you Clarrolx, Shadow-L-Chan, alienphantom, bree tennyson, and Enemy.X. for the reviews. ^^ Alright, I'm terribly sorry for the late update, I had a week-long trip which limited my time to write. Plus, when I finished this chapter, it was way too long, so I split it in half. This is the first half...expect some romance in the next XD. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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In the feeble two hours that took place after the breakfast bonanza, the hilarious madness that had ensued was greater than what Noah had ever predicted. Even though it had been a dream come true to spend time with Rex. After being cooped up in the house for a good ten minutes, Rex was aching to run around outside, disregarding Noah's constant worry. As such, Noah took it upon himself to plan out as many scenarios that his above-average brain could generate. After the seven hundred and twenty sixth, Noah came to the conclusion that even though Rex would go crazy at a quiet, safe, secluded park or building, Rex's favored locations would garner a Rex at least five times more…unpredictable.

"Ugh, you're no fun Noah! Why can't we go to the beach? It's less than five miles away…give or take ten…" Rex hadn't been to the beach in such a long time, he felt that he deserved a little break; plus, Noah could join him, it'd be just like old times.

"We are going to a park and that's final. You can go buck wild if you want," a silent 'even though you don't have your powers' was obviously attached. That comment really put a damper on the conversation and there was a slight awkward silence for a couple of seconds. That was until Noah flashed a sincere smile and quickly changed the subject. Although he intended to acquire Rex's complete obedience…in a loving way of course, he never expected such a shocking response from him. Noah would have to make drastic changes to his original schedule.

"Hey, Rex, if you _really_ want to, I guess it won't be too strenuous for yourself if we make a few compromises. In fact, I think it may even be beneficial if we _do_ go to the beach. The fresh ocean air would do you good…" remarked Noah. He finally gave into Rex's childish whining, but it was that kid in Rex that Noah loved the most; even though Rex was still, legally, a child. However, Rex was much more than a kid, he was brave, confident, and loyal. All of these attributes and many more was what really caught Noah's keen eyes.

"Yes!" Rex exclaimed, throwing his fist in the air while an imaginary explosion background suddenly popped up from some messed-up dimension. Noah _nearly_ face palmed at Rex's antics. Sometimes, childish enthusiasm was a calming change to what erratic lifestyle Rex lived; when he worked under Providence, he'd have to act more like a child every day…because Providence simply sucked the life out of him. It wasn't fair for someone like him to be forced to abide by such asinine rules. Being forced to forgo emotion when dealing with life and death, never straying from the precompiled regulations and plans, it was a complete horror. No one should ever deal with.

However, that was over and done with. That book of nightmares was closed and torn to shreds; he would have nothing to do with Providence ever again. He'd follow in Noah's footsteps. This new life was perfect. Rex would make sure that no one would come around to get in between him and Noah or even think about shattering his new world that they both helped to build. That aside, Rex intended to spend as much time with Noah as possible; this would start with the beach.

Rex began to make his way to the door, walking towards the mahogany entrance with a spring in his step. Oh, how he enjoyed the soft sands and the cool waters. There was nothing that could compare with such remarkable beauty. Plus, he'd be able to go out and surf, or dive, or…heck, why not parasailing? This was when Noah realized that he'd need to take control of the situation once again. It wouldn't be anything close to healthy for Rex to even think about exercise or contact sport when he'd only rested for one day after his leaving. Noah hated to rain on his parade, but it wasn't Rex's job to get injured, again.

"Rex, I said that we'll make a compromise; this means that we can go to the beach, but _I_ get to choose when we go," lectured Noah. This caused Rex to give an extensive groan as if his very bones were worn to that of a crotchety, old man.

As. If.

"Nooooaahhh!" Rex whined infusing ever ounce of his youthful energy into that name, instantly awakening Noah's libido and causing a slight discomfort for said male's hardening member in his pants. It wasn't unknown to Noah that he had…an unhealthy interest for dominance; Rex's submissive behavior was not helping the situation. Perhaps it would have been obvious to any not-so-innocent bystander, but Rex was anything but observant. Rex begrudgingly returned to Noah's side at the obsidian countertop, dangerously close to the rapidly warming blond. Alas, no sparks flew as Noah quickly announced their watery destination as he fidgeted his way from Rex, avoiding any preditorial urges, and strode straight to the upstairs bathroom.

"Um, Noah? You just said we could go to the beach sooo why are you-", "Gotta go!" Noah quickly responded, as he raced through the house and skipped steps up on the stairwell. After a quick slam of the bathroom door, Rex shrugged, knowing when nature called. If only he knew what _kind_ of call it was. Perhaps it was for the best that Rex stayed pure as long as possible.

Noah returned a few minutes later, looking quite refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready for whatever the world, and Rex, could and probably would throw at him. Rex snapped himself from his boredom induced stupor and shot from the living room couch and greeted Noah for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. With the formalities aside, again, they made their way to the front door.

Once they were outside, Rex and Noah stayed within close proximity of each other as they caught a bus and made their way to the shores of New York. The ride was somewhat enjoyable; there were no rude onlookers, good scenery, and Rex hadn't been reminded of his severed ties at any point in the trip. As the bus came to a stop, the two teens made their way to the wispy shore. It was slightly overcast with no signs of rain, so it wasn't too warm or too cool on their day out. Rex heaved a sigh of contentment after taking a huge whiff of the salty sea breeze.

"This is awesome! Thanks Noah!" Within a blink of an eye, Rex had disrobed himself of all of his clothing unaware of his lack of underwear, spurted obscene phrases that would make a sailor blush, and hastily jumped back into his protective jeans. Sadly for Noah, Rex was far more…practiced when it came to taking off and putting on clothing. All he saw was a huge blur of beige and black. On a lighter note, there wasn't a soul in sight during Rex's unintentional stripping.

"NOAH!" Rex screamed at the top of his lungs, and nearly bursting said teen's eardrums in the process. This caught Noah of guard so utterly and completely, that his brain had temporarily shut down for maintenance. That was, until he shook himself from the fascinating images that flashed before him; of course, he'd make sure that none of that would slip through his conversations with Rex, ever.

"Where are my swim trunks?" Noah couldn't decide if he should keep a straight face or make himself look either surprised or apologetic. It wasn't like HE planned the entire farce to begin with…honestly though, he forgot that Rex would strip to his birthday suit while in public.

Inwardly smirking, Noah thought, 'Either way, that delicious sight has definitely made my day.'

"Whoa there. Hold your horses Rex, I admit that giving you boxers had slipped my mind earlier today…as well as swim wear for the beach. This is why we're _at_ the beach. If you'd look across the street behind us, you'd notice the hotel."

"Aaaannnd-", "And, there's probably a hotel outlet with overly priced nick-knacks, which includes swim wear," spoke Noah, highlighting the obviousness of his statement with the slightest of head nudges toward said retail store across the street. It was a normal shop, Rex surmised, it looked decent and was large enough…it would just mean that Rex would have to get Noah to buy it, since he didn't have a bank account outside of Providence.

And so, after several minutes of crossing the street, selecting the correct swim wear, and begging Noah to pay for it since he was flat broke, Rex and Noah finally made their way back toward the foaming ocean. This time, however, the two had the decency to remove their shoes to prevent any sand from forever damaging their footwear, not to mention make it impossibly uncomfortable to walk in.

Rex's smile only widened as the warm sand found its way between his toes as he raced towards the water's edge, carelessly throwing his clothes against a nearby rock and diving into the frothy waves. Noah gave a small sigh, smiling at Rex's adventurous attitude as he picked up his clothes and set them aside, neatly folded and awaiting their owner's return. Noah closed his eyes, turned his head toward a gust of wind, and drew in a lung-full of the briny ocean air. This was such a peaceful place, it seemed that although it was a weekend, there weren't many visitors for this particular beach, far better since he and Rex could spend more alone time together.

As long as Rex didn't do anything hasty, Noah would permit it. That was mostly the bargain the two had settled on, and Rex was compliant with the rules for once. Never once, in fact, had Rex personally decided to follow anyone's rules. It was mostly due to the situation…Rex was desperate, and Noah could be trusted, done deal.

Rex emerged from the relatively clean waters, a curtain of crystal clear water enveloping him and his hair soaking wet. After a quick shake reminiscent to a canine, his skin was shining in the high-noon sun with the most minute of water droplets coating his tan, his hair back to its crazy spiky look, and Rex bellowed in joyous laughter; he was nearly his old self once again.

Noah took this time to drink in Rex's radiance. He was certainly beyond his years physically, but now wasn't the time for distractions, he still had to keep watch. It was highly likely that someone or something would take notice of the defenseless hero; so it was sadly necessary for him to leave behind a note, instead of leaving the hero unaware of where'd he gone off to. Noah knew it was risky, but he too had business here; he'd just have to take care of it as quickly as possible. Noah would have to hope for the best that no one interfered with his business or Rex.

And so, Noah discreetly left the beach to make his way to whatever appointment he was rushing to, and nobody was the wiser. As Noah left the scene, Rex took it upon himself to actually return from the awesome surf to the calm beach. He was slightly apprehensive when Noah was nowhere to be seen, but he eventually found the note stuck under his clothes so the wind wouldn't blow it away.

"Rex, I need to return to the house to pack away a few more beach items, specifically, several beach towels, sun lotion, and a few drinks for comfort. Be back soon, Noah." Rex reread the note then folded it away into one of his swim trunk's many Velcro pockets, he didn't remember Noah bagging any notebooks or pens, but then again, he didn't _know_ Noah too well.

Rex took this time to admire the beach. There still weren't any tourists nearby, so the surrounding beach was relatively quiet, save for the constant crashing of the waves on the grayish rocks and the cawing of the gulls overhead. It was peaceful enough to sleep the day away. After his quick swim, Rex was remarkably tired. Noah was, in fact, correct in his theory that even small amounts of exertion this early in the healing process would likely cause sleepiness. Rex lied down near some grass, making a comfortable makeshift bed by clearing stray rocks in the sand. The overcast sky kept most of the light out of Rex's eyes and he fell asleep.


	8. Robotic Reverie

Thank you bree tennyson, Shadow-L-Chan, Clarrolx, Kereea for the reviews. Okay, okay, okay. This has SOME kissy-kissy, so don't try to strangle me when you start/stop reading it. Anyway this is...was part two of what was supposed to be Ch. VII. I would like to point out that I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to tell you guys what's going to come up soon, but that would be cheating...and spoiling. By the way, I had to rewrite this twice before I even considered it really ready...and I STILL don't! Also, I'd like to point out that, yes, I know meatloaf has nothing to do with Italiano, but deal with it. Disclaimer: I don't own anything! DX

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It was dark, yet warm. Only the sounds of his heart's constant thumping could be heard by the resting teen. The warmth enveloped him as he let his mind wander, his body completely relaxed. The images of the beach had long faded; nothing here disrupted his dreamless trance. That was, until the most nominal of bits in his dream amalgamated into something drastically different. There was a scattered presence, all around him. It began to congregate; amassing into a deluge of foreign substance that morphed into something similar to an ocean. Whatever it was, it caused the air around him to become heavy, electrified, and bubbling with energy. The new experience was far from displeasing.

It felt good, better than good in fact. Rex was submerged in what only could be described as liquid pleasure. It was fleeting, yet suffocating, it was cold, yet hot, it was wondrous. It was a scorching deliciousness that Rex subconsciously inched toward and let out a throaty moan in compliance as the encounter only intensified.

Rex awoke panting. He was no longer at a beach in New York, he was in a bed. Satin curtains boxed Rex in and velvet sheets and golden cushions lied beneath him. Rex couldn't tell if it was day or night; the only light that helped illuminate his strange and unfamiliar surroundings were thin, lavished candles that encircled the outside of the bed. The air was still heavy and it slowed his movements as if Rex was a rusted puppet whose joints and strings worn down by time.

If it had only been that bad, and yet Rex was plagued with further maladies. Rex's mind was just as sluggish as his body; everything appeared to slow down and all the objects around him, the bed, the curtains, and even the hand that he raised to his face, were hazy and blurred.

It was truly disturbing for Rex, especially when he started hearing whispers. The slightest of sounds carried by the nonexistent wind in the room straight to his ears. Those sounds, those eerie phantasmal sounds, intangibly crept up, essentially swarming him, and echoed through his head…"Rex…"

Then, he felt the weight of the bed shift, he looked to his side. Rex would have released a yelp of absolute terror, if not for the warm hand that wrapped itself around our terrified hero's lips. The hand was definitely not a wrathful specter, but was still probably a threat.

"Shhhhh…" came the response from a mysterious hooded figure, its hand slowly creeping from Rex's lips down to his chin, holding him in place. The invasive attack against Rex's face did not go without repercussions, as Rex momentarily snapped from his fear induced stupor and clamored toward the veiled stranger and tore off the cloak. Eyes widening, Rex gasped from staring into those cyan eyes leaving himself wide open. And thus left Noah with enough time to resume his ministrations, unhindered by the flabbergasted hero.

The hand wrapped around Rex's exposed neck, caressing it as his nails glided ever so slowly down his carotid artery before moving down and over his exposed chest. His capable hand palmed over the skin between his pectorals, careful to avoid his sensitive nipples. Lower and lower the hand went, tracing the groves of Rex's premature six-pack until reaching the edge of a pair of swim trunks. One would expect anyone Rex's age to be rather vocal when it came to receiving pleasure of this magnitude, but Rex's mouth was busy at the moment.

His mind was buzzing, it was full of new sensations he'd never experienced before in his adolescent life, surging, coursing, and flooding his senses. Noah made quick work of Rex's fumbling lips. They were inexperienced, but managed to keep up with the lustful blond.

Noah opened his mouth and with a quick swipe of his skilled tongue which elicited an unexpected moan from the trembling brunette. Using this opportunity, Noah delved into his companion's hot, wet cavern; however, Rex went rigid from this invasion. Rex may have acted this way due to the unexpectancy of the intrusion, but mostly from the resultants thereof.

His mind was clouded with lust, yes, but his body was responding with immeasurable floods of pain. It didn't make any sense. Rex's thoughts leaned toward the question, 'Why would a simple tongue action garner such anguish?'

These and several other inquiries burst through to his mind, some concerning his location and others probing as to why he and his friend were tongue locked. Sadly, it seemed that that was the limit as to how much thinking Rex could do for the moment as his mind became as obscure as an old television with bad reception.

Fortunately, the pain died down quickly, being replaced with what Rex thought was pleasure. The whole experience was like a sudden spike of intense cold or heat that simply evaporated away, leaving behind only the residue of what Rex could only relate to a mad scientist's experiment gone awry.

Unfortunately, as quickly as Noah appeared, he was gone. The raw iron taste in his mouth told him that he'd probably be bleeding, but where was Noah…or the rest of the seductive room? Everything was dark, Rex was just floating in space, no substance, and it was pitch dark. That was until he opened his eyes and the blaring sun stabbed daggers of pain into his already sensitive retinas.

"Ugh…my eyes," Rex rubbed his eyes until he no longer saw spots, a pair of lightly toned legs stood in front of him. Noah stooped over Rex like a mother hen, hands on his hips and one of his feet tapping against the sand in an almost comical fashion, and a bottle of lotion in his hand. Apparently, Noah had the gall to cover up Rex from the sun's harmful rays with his myrtle jacket!

"Hey! What's with the jacket? Why didn't you just wake me up? You didn't have to do it for me!" He was probably the reason for his intoxicating dream, hopefully Noah wouldn't notice the tent in his pants…oh who was he kidding? 'Noah totally noticed; when he was MOLESTING ME,' Rex thought.

"Well, I've figured out earlier today that you are completely impossible to wake up when you're sleeping, so, since you were staring to burn in the sun, I took the initiative to give you some protection from the heat. You should be thanking me," stated Noah. He was slightly winded from running around from the buses to his house and back to the beach; he really did care for Rex, and returning to see him sleeping, defenses lowered, really got Noah worried. What if Providence came? Well, at least he took care of his business without a hitch…

At any rate, Rex wasn't going to just lie there with his hardened member out in the open with only his trunks to prevent any perverse eyes from getting a glimpse. Careful not to disturb his already painful erection, Rex slowly maneuvered himself so he was sitting down with his legs behind him and bulge out of sight. Rex had to admit; at least he wasn't sun burned or anything unsightly like that. Their conversation moved on to something…less provocative.

Once Rex's not-so-appreciated 'enthusiasm' died down, they began to walk around the beach, which by now had grown in population by about none. The beach, though the middle of the day, in summer, had yet to service any more visitors whatsoever. It was somewhat desolate and mildly discomforting, but the conversation kept Rex going.

Their talk ranged from Rex's overall enjoyment of being outside, to Noah's peculiar disappearance, to whether zucchinis were vegetables or fruits…yes, their conversations were utterly nonsensical when it came to a relevant subject matter.

Eventually, the day's relentless confusion simmered down for Rex as the sun raced across the cerulean sky and began its decent into the rocky horizon to the west. After changing clothes, courtesy of Noah, the two had taken a shuttle toward a nearby café. The eatery didn't experience too many customers that day, but it wasn't completely desolate either, that would mean trouble for Rex, and Noah knew it. However, to not make a scene, Noah was careful to choose a café that didn't include Italian food…Rex in public, plus meatloaf, equaled disaster, severe migraines, and possibly a restraining order.

After eating their fill, which wasn't much compared to what Rex usually ingested, they took their time to view the bustling city right outside the glass window they sat next to. It was decently quiet, the café didn't have any radio or music of the like, and so only the sounds of metal cutlery meeting dishes encountered their ears. That was, until Noah thought it was a good idea to speak up.

Noah had been dying to ask Rex this particular question he'd been meaning to ask him since the day the two formally met. Even though Rex probably didn't remember, Noah had known Rex for an inexplicably long time. It had only been after the two talked together as friends did the blond realize that he didn't want their relationship to remain…on such a low level.

"Say, Rex, do you have feelings for me?" The question was as blatant as it was stabbing. It was enormously gracious of Noah to ask this when Rex had nothing in his mouth at the time. Noah did not want to be drenched and or covered with one of the café's specialties.

Upon hearing and evaluating the seemingly innocent question, Rex's eyes flashed from surprise, to confusion, and back to astonishment. Rex reddened once again; for whatever reason, he was apologizing to whatever deity up in the sky that was intent on punishing him with his current predicament. He had felt something for the blond, no doubt about that, but if Rex knew what Noah was getting at, it was going to be terribly difficult to form the words.

"I-I…Well, you see…I…well, you see…," Rex continued to blubber on, rotating between those few words, never getting closer to his final destination. In an attempt at hastening Rex's delayed response Noah stood up and walked toward Rex from across the table in one fluid motion. Taking Rex's head back, just like in the dream, Noah closed the distance between their lips. However, it wasn't a passionate, wet, and scorching kiss that reverberated from Rex's consciousness, but a simple chaste one. Lasting mere nanoseconds, their lips parted and Rex was left in a daze. With his eyes still closed from expecting something far more drastic, he felt almost empty when Noah let go. Rex had slid closer by the smallest fractions of a inch to reciprocate, but it was not yet meant to be.

"Rex, let's go," Noah chimed, apparently exuberant in his successful efforts. He beckoned Rex to follow who was still entranced by the sudden romantic gesture. It felt like his entire being, no most of his being screamed at him to continue, but something else deep within him, buried almost, was equally fervent to stop this course of action. It seemed that the majority ruled for Rex's case and Rex had no say in the matter.

Opening his eyes, Rex gazed into those cyan orbs, mesmerized by them. As if in a trace, Rex obediently followed Noah's lead as they left the café; Noah had slipped the correct change for the bill on their way out.

As they returned to their home, Rex felt as if he finally belonged. It didn't matter that people would stare at them as they walked down the street, hands clasped together; Rex could've cared less. They didn't matter, only Noah. Only he mattered now.

They finally reached the house and Noah lead Rex inside. It was comforting to know that he'd have a place that he could truly call home. Rex made his way upstairs to him room as Noah quietly closed the front door and went to follow his companion. As he walked up the stairs, one hand on the wooden banister, Rex brought his other toward his lips, they were still tingling.


	9. Binary Breakout

Thank you Hatter Madigan, Clarrolx, Kereea, Sakuracat96, Shadow-L-Chan, and HiddenSilence for the reviews! Okay, summer school for me started this week, so I'm back to updating on the weekends ONLY. Okay, so this chapter is dealing with only Six, Bobo, and Holiday. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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"How long is this gonna take? I don't got all day," muttered a disgruntled Bobo. Six, meanwhile, preoccupied himself with the complex security lock instead of answering the simian and wasting precious seconds. Holiday could only give them three minutes before the guards would wake up and subsequently alert White of their betrayal. Over the course of her occupation here at _lovely_ Providence, she had invented a diluted neurotoxin based off of a deceased nameless EVO that could paralyze victims within seconds…and wear off in three minutes, which didn't give the trio much time. It was originally meant to be used to subdue wild EVOs and sedate unruly test subjects; however, Holiday had other plans, mainly use them to escape Providence.

Six skillfully rewired the high-tech lock, input the security access codes, bypassed the fail safes, and finally unlocked the steel doors. Unfortunately, the process required far too much time and Holiday came running toward them with Bobo's commandeered blasters…and what appeared to be a sizable group of guards chasing after her. The alarms were already sounding off.

Backtracking to earlier that deceptively calm morning, Six had met up with Holiday concerning the horrifying mission Knight had assigned him. Holiday's disgusted face assured Six that she was definitely on his side and thus began the secret mutiny of one of Providence's greatest personnel. They both knew it wasn't going to be easy; after all, White stationed guards at every possible entrance and exit throughout the building. On top of that, White had his personal lackeys install state-of-the-art cameras at each corner, above every hallway, and even in several public bathrooms. That paranoid White was always watching.

To understand the full scope of how to break out of what was possibly the most fortified building in the world, one must understand that breaking out isn't the hardest part…its planning an escape without suspicion. It was through Holiday's abilities that it all fell into place.

There was no mistaking Holiday's incredible insight, none at all. However, besides her advanced typing skills, her insane assessing abilities, and her above average fighting prowess, she was able to mentally map out all the blind spots of the security cameras and the personal routes of all guards on active duty at any given moment. If she were to have any chance at escape, she had to pull out all the stops. By pushing herself to her limits, the chance of their escape increased from five to nearly ten percent. This wasn't going to be a walk in the proverbial park.

After several painfully short meetings between guard shifts, Holiday and Six were able to confirm when they should escape, how they were to do so, which escape route was to be taken, and even managed to squeeze in what vehicle they were going to hijack. Although, the most devastating obstacle that was yet to be hurtled was the immense fighting force that Six, Holiday, and Bobo were undoubtedly going to face in order to ensure their escape. In fact, the actual structure of the Providence base was made so that if someone were to flee, they'd be forced to travel through the majority of the base, through long meandering halls, past large open rooms, and beneath glass skylights. This would mean that they could and most likely would be shot at with anything from bullets meant to pierce the toughest of EVO hides to heat-seeking missiles. Making White their enemy was the worst, and yet at the same time, the best thing they'd ever done.

As so, here they were, a scientist, an agent, and a monkey, all running as fast as their feet could carry them. Six held the lead in front and guided the other two fugitives down a flight of stairs; he too memorized all the hallways and possible routes for their momentary retreat.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Let me catch a breather," sighed Bobo, not yet accustomed to running so briskly after his less-than-active lifestyle for the past few days in that dank cell.

"Don't stop, we haven't any time to rest. Get up Bobo," Six interjected. He wasn't going to give White any chance at rebounding from their lack of movement. If they weren't careful, White could get the upper hand and completely surround them and…well, it wasn't the best scenario.

Speaking of which, Six became rather curious as to the dwindled numbers of guards chasing them, "Holiday, why haven't Knight's men caught up to us yet?"

"Well, while you were still preparing, I was able to sneak into the lower levels and set off a miniature EMP bomb. This temporarily fried the system, deactivating the electro-locks imprisoning EVO Subjects C through K, and thus, approximately a third of the guards are now scrambling down to prevent further destruction, and leave us with less 'work' to deal with," Holiday whispered.

"Furthermore, I was successful in downloading my own personal computer virus into the mainframe. It is programmed to cause specific cameras all over the base to overlap all at designated times. We need to synchronize our timing so that we ourselves go unnoticed and that if we happen to be taped on another camera, its data is sent to the wrong receiver." It seemed that Holiday really planned everything out. It looked like everything was going according to plan, but during delicate situations, it was easy for preparations to go awry.

During the duration of the quiet journey through Providence, Bobo and Holiday were constantly on edge; Six on the other hand, donned his emotionless mask once again, and focused all his efforts on returning to Rex. Unfortunately, Six wasn't quite as focused as he'd like. The thoughts that plagued his mind weren't 'Am I going to get out of this alive?' but 'Will Rex forgive me?'

It was through these minuscule changes in awareness that no one sensed the silent footsteps behind them, to their sides, above them, and around the corner…as they soon found out.

"AMBUSH!" Screamed Six as he jumped for what little cover he could find. The others quickly followed suit making their way toward the makeshift barrier Six brought up using several benches. Sadly, Bobo wasn't quite fast enough and paid the consequences.

"Shit! My leg," spat Bobo, hands clasping the fresh wound in a feeble attempt at stanching the flow, falling to the ground a mere foot away from Holiday. Quickly pivoting from her position she lunged back and managed to haul the injured chimp back to the temporary safety zone. She swore under her breathe as she tore off a piece of her lab coat and made a tourniquet to help keep the monkey from going into shock.

"Six, we'll have to remove the bullet later, can you…Six?" She glanced to the left of her where the agent had been crouched behind with her only a second ago. Holiday's next clues as to the whereabouts of the deadly agent were the excessive screams of the elite Providence Guard all around her. The sounds were unbearable as the screams exceeded tolerable volume and only to be silenced a fraction of a second later. As the cacophony continued, the blaring of sub-machine guns dwindled to only a few pockets around the terrified scientist, and even those guards were being shaken up by whatever Six was doing. It was for the best that she didn't turn her head to gaze upon the bloody battlefield before her. The white, elegant walls, floors, and even ceiling were given a new gruesome coat of red over and over again…

'It's my fault; from when Rex left me, to now. I won't let anyone else suffer because of my stupid actions…I'll kill them all.'

Six felt a surge of power rush through his body, from the tips of his fingers to his feet. In a flash, Six propelled himself from behind the frightened scientist landed on the second floor terrace and raced down the lane. Six was so angry, he was starting to bleed from his bottom lip from biting down too hard.

He raised his blades and downed his first victim; impassively slicing through the nameless goon clean in half…as does every massacre begins. If the guards thought that the situation was under control, they were _dead wrong_. As the lifeless carcass fell to the ground, the man next to him didn't even have the chance to turn his head, as it was already falling to the first floor. The men from across the venetian balcony, however, got a clear view of the macabre executions and screamed obscene lines to all other operatives, targeting the lone murderer.

One after another, they all fell…Bloody and motionless. Some of them were able to let out a hellish scream, but Six was simply moving faster and faster and faster…until they were all dead. It was as if everyone else was standing completely still, it was more like cutting up limp mannequins than actual fighting. This never happened to Six before, _ever_. As Six returned to his senses, he could hear Holiday calling him to follow as she made her way down the corridor…'Just like our plan was supposed to go,' thought Six.

Before the agent began to move again, he did an overview of his person. The shades of hunter green were now dyed a dark crimson, he was completely soaked in blood, but not his of course; he was never shot once. Wiping away the warm liquid from his splattered forehead, he noticed his hands.

They were clenched around the hilts of his katanas so firmly that the knuckles were bone white. It seemed that in the end, the only blood Six lost was from his tightly gripped hands.

Six was, by far, not an amateur when it came to taking life away. It was simple as that, but this was a whole new experience for him…he'd never remembered being that _aware_ of everything around him. But, then again, he couldn't remember much of anything. White threatened him with his past if he betrayed him; which was why he was doing this. For the Rex he needed to save now. White didn't have any more power over him; he'd make sure that his head would roll by his own blades.

Preparing for possible skirmishes ahead, Six wiped his katanas clean to prevent any problems later on. The blades would definitely stink of blood and gore, but at least the blood wouldn't corrode the metal…he needed them sharp for a clean kill.

In order to speed up their escape, Holiday allowed Bobo to ride on her back, since his leg was completely useless. However, the chimp wasn't fazed at all by the pain, he didn't pity himself over getting shot, and he knew what was needed of him. He would protect those around him, stay alert, and always keep an eye on the shadows.

As the group made their way to the hanger, a huge rumbling could be felt all throughout the base. It seemed that the rest of the EVOs had broken through their cages and had joined the others in their rampaging. This was probably why there weren't any guards to prevent their subsequent hijacking. As they entered the predetermined helicopter, Six took the helm as Holiday gingerly moved Bobo to the rear and began to tend to his wound.

"Oh good, the bullet seemed to only tear some muscle, it missed your major blood vessels and your bones!" Sighed Holiday while wiping away some sweat from her forehead; a slight smile on her face. After removing the bullet, she prepared some disinfectant to wipe out any bacteria in and near the wound. As she administered the medical alcohol, Bobo winced slightly from the bubbling pain.

"Tss, oh boy, I'm gonna feel this in the mornin'. Well, thanks doc. Hey Six, let's get this bird airborne, will ya?" Said Bobo, giving a half hearty wave toward the cockpit. Offering the slightest of nods, the agent prepared the helicopter for lift off. In a few moments, they were off the ground and flying away from that hell hole.

"We're coming Rex," whispered Six. He wasn't done yet.


	10. Resonating Reunion

Thank you Kereea, bree tennyson, Hatter Madigan, Enemy.X., and Anniny Mouse for the reviews! Okay, Rex and the others FINALLY meet up! It was sooo hard trying to get Rex's interactions just right, but here it is! ^^ Also, yes the pictures are uber-important, and yes, I've created OCs. I won't tell you who they are, but I will eventually XD. BTW, if you're wondering about why Rex says what he says in the end, re-read the ending of Ch. II. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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"So Noah, what are we gonna do after this…we could go play ball later," spoke Rex, speaking only between shoveling mouth-fulls of some cereal Noah had lying around. Just like last night, he slept peacefully. He didn't have any bad dreams, but that was because he didn't have any dreams to begin with. He didn't stir, he simply rested.

"Sure, let me get a few things together before we-" BEEP BEEP BEEP…BEEP BEEP BEEP. Noah was interrupted by the monotone ringing of his cell phone from his pocket. He pulled out the offending device as he gave an apologetic glance to Rex and turned around so he could give himself some privacy.

Rex didn't mind waiting a little while longer; he could stay like this for all eternity if it was possible. He simply continued with his breakfast, with Noah's back in the corner of his eye. 'Noah's the only one that can make me feel this way…'

Rex had impeccably sharp peripheral vision, and as such, he was able to pick up on his companion's back stiffen ever so slightly during his phone call. He was shaking too, but only just. If Rex hadn't spent so much time around Noah for the past few days, he'd probably dismiss it for something menial. However, he knew that Noah never exposed himself to such an extent. He was always able to keep himself in check; he never had emotional break downs, or anything for that matter.

Noah abruptly straightened himself and slapped his mobile phone shut, his call obviously over. Before Rex could ask if he could help, Noah began to storm out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Noah shouted, "Rex, don't leave the house. I'll be back in a few minutes. This is important…"

Rex was left speechless as his only light in the world quickly closed the door leaving him to his silence; only the sounds of the door locking and the ever faithful tick-tocking of the kitchen wall clock kept the stifling quietness at bay. Rex's thoughts began to surface as his mind slowly fell apart. They were like their own beings, fluttering, twisting, and ripping through his consciousness, whispering 'Was it something I did? What was that call all about? What do I do now? I'm all alone…again.'

"NO!" Shouted Rex, breaking free from his own self afflicted illusions. He was fed up depending on Noah…and before that, there was them. He tried his best to ignore the growing sorrow that ate away at his center; he desperately needed a distraction. Quickly standing from his place at the countertop, Rex toppled over the chair he was sitting in moments prior. He walked away without a second thought.

He concentrated on his own personal mission, and thus began a closer perusal of his savior's home. He never did get a good look at most of those paintings…or those photos.

He started with the living room across the house. His feet pressed against the wood flooring and quickly met the soft fuzz of a rather large Arabian rug that lied beneath the cozy couch, and a few other chairs stationed around the flat screen. However, T.V. wasn't the pastime he was looking for at the moment and averted his eyes, laying them instead on the marvelous paintings that adorned the walls. He walked closer, inspecting the detailed strokes and dazzling colors that graced each and every landscape and the occasional still-life. To the disappointment of our lonesome hero, the paintings didn't seem to have been created by who he thought had made them. They were all signed by some unknown painter who only scribbled 'P. Knnet,' whoever that was.

Despite Rex's dissatisfaction, he pressed on as he continued through the personal art gallery, passing by a murky battle-raged castle and an ice-capped mountain that apparently was in the middle of a terrible snow storm. His spirits were slowly raised, as was his interest in the paintings once again, but faded soon after coming across two photos.

The first photo was rather small. It seemed to blend into the wall itself, and the photo looked like it had been taken at least twenty years ago. The man himself wasn't looking into the camera directly, his face was tilted slightly to the side and his gaze was toward something else entirely. It had a glazed over look and his wistful face looked all the more dreary with those wisteria colored eyes of his. Those eyes were only further accented by his flawless white face. His russet hair was mid-length, somewhat wavy, and well kempt. It was, however, pulled back into a neat tail, locked in place by a heliotrope ribbon. Moving on to his person, he didn't keep a slouch and was standing upright, though his hands were curled up into fists by his sides. His clothing mimicked that of royalty. His unusually long black frock coat draped around him ominously with his lavender jabot matching his eyes. The photo ended right at the waist where his white button down shirt neatly tucked into his black pants.

The photo to the right was just as just as inconspicuous as the first, if not more. This man, obviously much older due to the frail worn edges of the picture, had barely anything discernable. Much of the color had faded and what little that remained was sparse and littered the print. The only features that Rex could identify were a turquoise ring on his left hand and that his hair was a hardened blackish color, just like his own. Unfortunately, both photos had their name plates scratched out; they were completely unidentifiable.

Just then, the door slammed open, startling Rex who jumped at the loud and unexpected noise. The next thing he knew, he felt a prick in his neck and he slowly raised his hand and felt feathers…he'd been tranquilized. With a deep-seated fear in his eyes, he slowly turned his stiffening neck and saw a frazzled Noah running to him. If his muscles weren't numb, he'd had been screaming at the tops of his lungs, but could only managed, "What…why?"

"Rex, I will always protect you. Listen, Rex, I would never hurt you…you'll be alright, I promise. Several people are going to come in now. I won't let them hurt you," rushed Noah who was giving Rex the tenderest hug he could muster, still shaking from what he had done.

Several more steps and grunts were heard from the entrance, and Rex felt his heart sink. If his legs could move, he'd have run away right then and there. Approaching the two who had by now gotten up, with the help of Noah, and were sitting in the chairs…

After a quick shower, change of clothes, and further tending to Bobo's wound, the three had met up with Noah who was exasperated to say the least. He wanted to know why they had called him and whether they were followed or not. After a heated discussion, Noah finally backed off and allowed them to seek refuge at his home, but only under the condition that they didn't harm Rex or attempt to take him away without Rex's consent. Once the deal was made, Noah made one last scan around the street; it was still early enough where no one was walking their dog or something. It was so peaceful, the beautiful bluish-grey sky and the birds chirping…Noah wished the weather would accentuate his mood better.

Once they were inside, Noah dashed in with a hidden tranquilizer gun to the amazement of the three, who didn't notice the weapon; after a minute of waiting outside, Six boldly walked into the house where Holiday and Bobo followed suit. Bobo was still adjusting to his crutches, but they were better than relying on Holiday, he didn't want to be a burden for her at all.

She had done so much for the injured simian and treated him with the utmost respect and dignity. He was amazed that Holiday was so…motherly; but as time passed, they grew to understand each other more, and it was pleasing for him to know that they could become a great poker pair one day; but now wasn't the time for gambling. They were here for Rex, the very reason why they finally broke free of White.

As the three sat down, Bobo needed help elevating his leg and needed to use the couch. This left with Holiday with the last chair and was thus seated farthest from Rex; Six simply leaned against a part of the living room wall that had no pictures on it. When everyone was done seating themselves, or in this case standing for Six, Noah began speaking.

"Okay, Rex, like I said earlier, they won't hurt you-", "Why would we hurt him? We're here to help! We had to risk our lives to escape from Providence," interjected Bobo, who only solidified his statement after motioning to his leg. He wasn't happy with where this conversation was going. It was as if Noah was incriminating them instead of White.

"Noah, I think it's best if we clear any rumors. We indeed escaped from Providence, but not without…consequences. We only want to help-", "Go…away…all of you," whispered Rex, who had a steady stream of tears running down his flushed cheeks. He was completely devastated by THEM coming here. He never wanted to see them again; it was their fault he was like this!

"Rex. Let me explain what really happened…back before you stumbled upon _that_ machine," spoke Six, his voice filled with conviction and determination. Rex quieted from the possible truth, and settled down to hear Six's story, even though he couldn't move in the first place. This somewhat neutral course of action didn't mean that he trusted Six, Rex still hated the man. And so, Six cleared his throat for what was surely to be an interesting story.

"Over one week ago, Knight had given a secret mission to me and Holiday. This mission concerned your abilities, in which his attention was completely affixed to. He wanted to harness your ability to 'annihilate' active nanites…and our mission was to pervert this ability of yours into a personal weapon for himself. I was assigned as a protectorate of you; White basically wanted the 'test subject' to remain intact during the mission. Holiday was to decipher how your nanites worked and in turn, replicate your abilities."

"Unfortunately, she succeeded," Rex's eyes widened as memories of his appointment with Holiday resurfaced. He glared at her with as much fervor as he could. She looked away in response, guilt washing over her face.

"We didn't know at the time, but he intended to use this weapon to basically replace you, Rex," muttered Six, walking around the quiet room, stopping a few feet away from where Noah and Holiday sat.

"The incident where you were told you lost your nanites was simply to cover up what really happened. You see, the device that prematurely activated wasn't as powerful or as effective as White intended. You, Rex, are still an EVO. You do, in fact, have active nanites. You may not have realized it yet, but they are there within you…laying dormant, waiting to be reawakened. Your powers, in turn, are also salvageable…" spoke Six, who then finished his little circle around the room and relaxed against the wall, hoping that Rex would be reasonable this time around. He, though, still felt sick for having lied to him back at the hospital; and even further back…back when Rex still trusted him. He kept awful secrets from Rex, and as a result, paid for it dearly.

Rex was stunned to say the least. His breathing came in short, weak gasps as he slowly processed what Six told him, 'My powers are salvageable? I…I still have a chance?'

Unfortunately, before Rex could further his escalating thoughts, Noah took this time to speak, "If what you say is true, I want full cooperation from all of you for White's defeat. If he really has developed a weapon that is capable of upstaging Rex, then there is no doubt that White intends to 'remove the competition,' so to speak. He would never risk having Rex alive; it wouldn't be _his_ way of doing things."

Noah continued his well thought-out speech, noting on how Rex would be protected at all costs, where there was a resounding confirmation from everyone. As the conversation continued, Rex's attention faded and he left himself to his own thoughts once again.

'If I can get my powers back, then that means that…what does that mean? I won't have the same life as before…not that I want it! I don't want to have anything to do with them! But then, what will I do?'

"Rex? Rex! There you are. We've finished negotiations with Six, Holiday, and Bobo. I've agreed to their terms as well, but rest assured, I won't ever give them a chance to hurt you," said Noah, giving Rex a comforting pat on his numbed back in a failing gesture of kindness.

"Also, Six is going to be accompanying you until the sedatives wear off…don't give me that face. If we're going to combat White, we'll need to be able to cooperate…alright?" After a small nod, Noah and the others then continued with another one of their boring conversations, leaving Rex behind again.

Six, however, remained silent, only participating when he was spoken to; and even then, he wasn't very verbose in his responses. Rex tried to keep calm, he'd let everything run its course. After all, once White was killed, he could return to Noah and they wouldn't need to bother with the _others_!

'Trust is never something that I will ever give away _willy-nilly_. Never again…'


	11. Ominous Octane

READ THIS READ THIS READ THIS! Thank you bree tennyson, KJSOARES2, Kaori110, Shadow-L-Chan, and Jade Flame for the reviews. ^^ Alright, just so you guys know, I choose my titles very carefully, its not random. Also, when I say I update on the weekends, my definition of 'weekend' is Friday-Monday...Okay! I finally got through Rex's overly complicated personality and pilfered this from his psyche! Enjoy! BTW, this story has a happy ending, so Rex isn't gunna kick the bucket! Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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It was dark. There was that gurney, the foul air, the shadows and screaming. His disfigured self was there, then Six and the scalpel, and the blood. The pain was so real…and, once again, Rex woke up. He was panting, eyes wide in disbelief; he had the exact same dream from that time at the hospital. Everything was so clear, yet completely blurred; even now, the macabre images were fading faster than the tears that would, without a doubt, be falling down his face.

He steadied himself this time around though. Rex had sorted out the maelstrom of malcontent against his former allies. He did so right after laying his head down onto the, now familiar, bed all those nights ago. Well, nearly, but it was quite helpful to be able to seek refuge from the whirling distress that was creeping up his psyche. Though, Rex was anything but weak.

Rex, still shaking and panting from the traumatic experience, breathed slowly. He inwardly chanted over and over again, 'In and out…in and out. In. And out.'

Wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead, Rex heard the quiet, yet repetitive knocking of his room's door. Not waiting for a response, Six unlocked and opened the door, quite distressed at the moment.

Greeting him was a teal pillow to the head upon the first step into the room. Despite the dark shades he wore and the fact that the sun hadn't risen yet, he was still able to discern the color of the airborne cushion. And yet, he didn't dodge, 'I'm a trained assassin, capable of obliterating whole EVO armies without a scratch. Yet, whenever it concerns Rex…'

"What do _you_ want?" Spat Rex, utterly appalled that Six had the gall to simply barge into his room like that. Rex narrowed his eyes slightly in preparation for staring down the intruder as said intruder removed the pillow from his face that didn't seem to want to detach. Six was somberly awakened from his sophomoric thoughts by Rex's unnaturally, yet logically explainable, attitude. Six stood there for a split second, holding the thrown pillow in his hands, locked in a displeasing gaze with the other occupant of the room.

'His eyes are so cold and steely. Where's that Rex that I met all those years ago?' Thought the ex-agent, his pondering only cementing his worry for his dearly lost colleague.

'No, he's in there somewhere…but there's something blocking the way. Let me in Rex,' Six opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by another pillow…perhaps Rex wouldn't notice the heavy night lamp to his left.

"Wait, Rex! I'm sorry for invading your space, but I heard you from down stairs. You were nearly screaming," asserted Six, hoping for the flying bedroom objects to stop. Rex had a rather dense book in his wavering hand at the moment.

Rex closed his eyes letting out a constrained exhale and set the book back down onto the desk, next to the lamp. He looked over at Six, who was still standing at the doorway, and gave a disbelieving scoff. He jumped off the bed and marched his way over to the impassive man and said, "Fine, I'll give you for _caring_ for me, but why're you in Noah's hous?-", "Because that was part of the agreement, remember Rex?"

Noah stood outside the door in the hallway, clad in the same clothes as yesterday; the lights from the hall splashed into the darkened room as he flipped a nearby switch. Rex's eyes winced in slight pain as his retina's slowly adjusted to the brighter scene unfolding before him. He turned around again to check the clock. The faded glow of the digital timepiece read four-twenty six. 'It's that early in the morning?'

"Since you were a bit 'out of it' during yesterday's…dealings, I'll fill you in, Rex. I'm allowing those three to stay with us because we all share a common enemy. Their presence here won't conflict with our normal routines by the way. Also, they were kind enough to cover up their tracks. White may run an international organization, but he was apparently easy enough to fool," explained Noah, attempting to defuse any more contention. He made his way over to Rex, nearly elbowing Six in the process, and comfortingly draped his arm over Rex's shoulder. The two made their way downstairs past Six, whom Rex was still ignoring. The disregarded agent kept his distance, following silently behind.

Even though it was before the sun broke past the horizon, the house was bustling with activity. Noah led the two back down to the living room where Bobo was lying on the couch, watching the news. It was an early morning news channel, and the flustered casters were jabbering on about how the EVO attacks and the missing persons count have only risen. Rex smirked at the horrible news; 'How do ya like that, White?'

"Hey, how'd ya sleep, chief? I heard…" Spoke Bobo, raising his head to the view of a retreating back; apparently he was being given a cold shoulder today. Bobo was about to speak up again, probably to comment on Rex's rude behavior, until a hand rested on Bobo's shoulder. The chimp shot up looking into a pair of black shades.

Six slowly shook his head, which was instantly understood as, "don't," to the irate simian. Bobo blew out a heated sigh as he settled back down against the soft upholstery to leave the dispassionate teen to his brooding. Six sat himself down into one of the various chairs in the room. He brought a hand to his head and pinched the bridge of his nose to combat an approaching migraine. Six sorely wished Rex would snap out of it…he wasn't the enemy; he was here to save him. "Everything's become so difficult…and these headaches have only worsened after escaping Providence. What's your input?"

"Well, as far as I think you should be concerned, we'll get through this in the end. Although, I bet you'll be sportin' a few white hairs from all the stress," snickered Bobo, trying to get his mind off of the teen in the next room.

"…Don't say that color," deadpanned Six. He felt another headache coming on.

As the sun rose, it brightened the house, including the kitchen, with natural light; Rex's scowl seemed to react badly to said sunshine. He waited at the table, completely obstinate from communicating with anyone other than Noah. The only times he opened his mouth was to either ask Noah to 'pass the salt,' or something similarly corny, or to chew his bacon and eggs.

It must have been the MOST awkward breakfast the Providence escapees have ever had; the tension was so thick, you could have choked on it from the sheer uneasiness of it all. No one was up to strike up a conversation either. Holiday cooked most of the breakfast, but was intent on staring at her over-easies than dare look up and invoke another stare down. Bobo was still tempted to talk to Rex, but held his tongue, fearful of losing his best friend…or at least what was left. Six was, well, just being Six.

The only sounds heard were the scraping of tableware against cutlery and the clinks of ice against the glass cups accompanying each plate.

Rex finished his meal first, to no one's surprise, and briskly made his way to the kitchen sink across the room. Six took the opportunity to speak up, "Rex, I-", "WHAT? Come to cause more trouble?"

"Why do you always have to ruin everything? Huh? You've even given me nightmares," snapped Rex, slamming his dishes against the linoleum floor, shattering them into tiny shards. The platinum colored shards gave a stark contrast to the flooring; they were everywhere.

"Why do you hate me Rex?" spoke Six. He nearly whispered, but the message echoed against the walls, so it was still heard by everyone, including the fuming hero across from him. Six looked up into his eyes again for the second time that day. What Six saw was malice and spite. This was for sure, but a spark of guilt and hesitance bloomed from those wild chocolate eyes as Six's words left his lips.

"I…I-I'm…" Rex stuttered, the dam that held back his guilt finally broke and it spilled out of him through his eyes. As Rex started to tear up, he ran from the kitchen, from everyone, from Six. He stomped against the creaking floor in his haste to get to his room. The sounds of banging from the ceiling and a final slam of a door let everyone know that Rex was now in solitary confinement; himself the warden.

Not waiting to let the situation get any worse, Noah politely asked, "Holiday, could you help me clean up the mess, please?"

Holiday quickly agreed, not taking her eyes off of the motionless ex-agent. Her hands were trembling as she swept up the broken plates, Rex's vicious outburst still ringing in her ears. As she finished up, she eyed Noah next to her; he was silent in his work. His eyes narrowed in obvious contemplation of what just happened. Bobo, on the other hand, was stuck between astonishment and anger. He clenched the metal fork in his hand and grit his teeth; not from Rex's outburst, but because he didn't have the legs to follow after him.

"Noah…I-", "SHHHIIIIITTTT!" Everyone jumped from their positions and made a dash to Rex's room. Six lead the front, where Noah trailed right behind. Holiday had the decency to help the disabled chimp to his crutches, as they too ran toward the scream.

Everyone had one thing on their mind at that point. And it concerned the writhing form they were about to meet in a few seconds…

Rex raced up the stairs, his skin prickling, his guts clenching, and his mind…on fire. He was nearly blinded by his tears as he slammed the door and fell onto the welcoming bed. He screwed his eyes shut as another assault of agonizing pain racked his quivering form. He bit into his lip in a feeble attempt at keeping his screams from escaping. He didn't want anyone to find him in such a pathetic state.

Rex gasped as the waves grew stronger and more violent; he doubled over onto the ground where he clenched his stomach. He tightened his grip and drew his legs closer fighting the pain as best as he could. His eyes shot open, tears poured down his pale face, as his body was drowned in boiling heat. His fingers and toes went numb, yet the rest of his body continued to battle the onslaught. It hurt so much; it was just like in his nightmares. The culprit was not Six though; it was the fault of the clashing emotions within him.

He was appalled by how much he loved Six at that instance. In the short second following Six's question, his mind simultaneously sank into a hopeless and sorrowful love for the man. Yet, at the same time, he himself hated him. Furthering his rage, those whispering phantoms in his head fervently slashed out against the idea of loving such a revolting creature. It was then that the pain ensued.

It frightened him. To know that deep within, he could, to such a degree, despise the existence of someone…yet even deeper, an overbearing, crashing sea of admiration, friendship, and something even greater lurking beneath. It was a sporadic flash of hate and love brewing within. It ate away at his mind and body, fueling the struggle.

It burned. It ached. Rex didn't know what to do, except scream his pain to the world. And so he did.

The few chaotic seconds following his shriek, the door burst open. A hurried Six and Noah met his red forlorn eyes. Holiday and Bobo rushed in right after them. Six made it to Rex first and grabbed Rex and began to check for any injuries. Sadly, Noah maneuvered himself between them and demanded Holiday to get to Rex. Six could only watch as Holiday ran into the room and removed an instrument he'd never seen before and took a blood sample with it. Rex was in so much pain, it required Noah and Six to hold him down so Rex didn't cause any more harm to himself while Holiday hurriedly completed her tests.

Doctor Holiday was one of the greatest minds Noah had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was beyond her years as a scientist and was quite capable at her duties. As such, it was out of years of experience that she dropped her sample, reached for a syringe within her coat pocket filled with a blackish liquid, and stabbed Rex square in the chest. After a split second of Six grabbing her wrist and Holiday gasping at the pain, Rex's body went limp, he ceased screaming, and his eyes closed.

"HOLIDAY! What have you done?" Roared Six, he was close to losing it again.

"I saved him Six! At least for now. You won't believe what readings I got from the sample-", "What?"

Holiday looked up, tears streaming down her face, not from being trapped in a crushing grip by a deadly assassin, but because of the next words she said.

"Rex's nanites…the ones that were dormant…they're-they're destroying his body! I…I just gave him a temporary sedative. It'll slow down the nanites' work, but…it's only a matter of time before…"

Six felt his hands slip from Holiday's bruised wrist and looked down at the unconscious teen; his mind slowing down.

'Why?'


	12. Gregarious Galvanization

Thank you Clarrolx, Jade Flame, bree tennyson, Saiyura, K, and Kereea for the reviews! Okay, I was bored this day and went through the GR fanfics, and I just realized that this story is the only Six/Rex story above 20K words! Is this pairing really that unpopular? Anyway, Kleissy finally gets mentioned for once, and expect an appearance some time in the near future. Oh yes, the Pack members will also be mentioned, but I'm not entirely sure if they'll ALSO make an appearance. Besides that, yes, I broke my 'update-on-the-weekends-only' rule, but rest assured, it was only because I caught Lina Trinch's **SDRUS**. If you don't know what that is, go spam her inbox not mine...lol. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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Rex kept his eyes closed. There wasn't any point, there was no light. He was frantic at first, but it proved futile. Rex found himself in the middle of nothingness, absolute blackness all around him; nowhere to go.

He didn't fear the darkness, that was what Rex told himself, and for a time, he believed his self-spoken conclusion quite obdurately…this was a drastic change to the howling, thrashing youth he could remember before his injection. He could remember everything so vividly, the pain, Six and Noah slamming the door off its hinges to get to him, and that Six had an utterly defeated look on his face. Smirking to himself, Rex realized just how foolish it was to keep his mind trapped in the past. If he was dead, so be it, he already accepted it all.

It seemed useless to walk around in this barren loneliness, but it was the only thing Rex could occupy himself with to stave off insanity. So Rex walked and he was glad, but was further pleased that there was sound in the vast emptiness. It was comforting to be able to hear his voice and the clatter of his shoes against the broken tiles…wait, tiles?

Rex went ridged; there were blood stains, shards of glass, and other kinds of debris all around the mysterious hall that sublimated out of the nothingness. However, he was unfazed by the possible mirage from hell; he'd prepared himself for what could have laid in wait for him. Glancing back, the engulfing darkness quickly faded into the remainder of the passage, sealing him within the dreaded hospital from his nightmares. Impassively, Rex walked down the corridor, past shattered glass panes, around blocks of concrete that fell from the dilapidated ceiling, and around the stinking pools of sanguine. That was when he heard the screaming.

With a slight frown on his face, Rex confidently strode forward, really to face the monstrosity. There was a minute pang of guiltiness, though; and Rex pinched the bridge of his nose to stifle the growing ache in his temple. That was when he glared at the thing in the next room.

Jumping back, Rex had squinted one of his eyes as a rather large wave of pain splashed against his face…his headaches were progressively worsening. However, the aches weren't the problem. The problem was that the glass in the particular window Rex was glowering through was still intact.

He looked disgusting, in his reflection was that same disfigured Rex he'd seen writhing on the floor, just before the nightmare Six would cut him up. Although, instead of staring daggers right back at him, the disfigured Rex held a lonely, rueful look in his eyes. Disinterested in the absurdity of the situation, Rex prepared to shatter this shoddy doppelganger with a nearby brick.

That was, until a hand grabbed Rex's wrist and the stranger began to quickly lead the startled teen down the ghoulish passageway. He was torn between turning around back toward his reflection, which by now was several meters away, and the man tugging at him to follow faster. Rex was, however, snapped from his decision making and was shocked to see an anxious Six clamoring to escape with him.

Rex was about to slam _this_ Six into the filthy flooring, but a large grotesque scream behind them caused Rex to stop dead in his tracks. With only a split second before Six hauled Rex onto his back to continue their sprint, Rex saw what he could only describe as 'evil.' There wasn't a mangled creature smashing across the hall to slash them to pieces, there wasn't anything at all. It was what _wasn't there_ and what was happening to the hospital that caused Rex's hairs to stand on end. It was an indomitable force or presence that loomed over them, like an invisible ghost slowly spreading its gnarled hands, ready to ensnare the two. It sent chills down Rex's spine.

What's more, the debris, the whole hall for matter, was tarnishing, rotting, dying. The metal began to rust a grimy red that resembled the blood of a long forgotten murder. The glass and tiling simply evaporated, turning into a smoking dust that also succumbed to the rotting. And the blood stains, they fizzled and boiled away; the residue chipped into a black charcoal that followed the way of the long-gone tiles. It was horrifying; forget accepting death, Rex wanted to live, badly.

Breathing coming in short gasps, Rex's eyes shut tight, praying to some charitable deity to save them. Yes _them_; Rex no longer hated the man. Then, a piercing light broke through the cracks of Rex's eyes; they were outside. Deeming themselves far enough from the devilish building, Six set Rex down onto the soft grass next to him. He was about to exhale a sigh of relief, grateful to be set free from that hell-house, when a shining white scythe splattered blood all over the dismayed teen.

Giving Rex one last glance and spurting up blood from his throat, he was swiftly dragged back through the grisly doors. It was unbelievable; the blade shot right through Six's left arm and back into his lower torso, locking him in place. It was then Rex screamed out realizing that it was the ex-agent that took the blow meant for him. Bawling, Rex shot after the dying man, a trail of blood gushing from his fatal wounds. It was then that Rex slipped on the gruesome stream of his savior; his outstretched hand never to reach its companion.

His screaming faded into silence, the elegiac scene before him shifted sharply to a blinding white, and finally cleared like a fog where blurred images meet his tearing eyes. He was beyond grateful that it was _only_ a dream.

Rex, though pleased that reality had returned to him, couldn't understand anything the arguing people around him were talking about…rather, he couldn't hear anything at all. It was only after a stumpy thing, probably Bobo, stood up and shouted to the other two that he was awake. The fuzzy images slowly took shape as what appeared to be Holiday rushing down toward Rex. As everything came into focus, Rex glanced around the room. It was the living room, but there were sweeping changes across it, the T.V. and most of the furniture had been moved to a corner to make way for the large bed that Rex was laid on.

After finishing her check-up, Holiday began to furiously scribble down something onto a small board on her lap. Expecting her to comfort him and step back, she surprised him by turning the clip board around so Rex could read it.

'Rex, I needed to sedate you for reasons I will explain later. Right now, you've been unconscious for most of the day; I'm surprised you woke up so early. The reason why you cannot hear or speak for the moment is due to several injections of an anti-nanite serum that will slow down your nanites. One of the _temporary_ symptoms of an overdose of this serum is that it interferes with several synaptic functions in your brain. In a few minutes, you'll recover.'

With the slightest of nods, Rex sighed and rested his head back down onto the soft pillow beneath him and Holiday left the company of his bedside and sat down on one of the chairs across from him. 'It was just a dream. I'm not dead and everyone's here, including…'

Where was Six? Opening his eyes again, his focus darted across the room, from the downcast Bobo, to the ever-contemplative Noah, to the worried Holiday. Sadly, the shades wearing ex-agent was nowhere to be found. To top it all off, Rex had to wait until he could use his vocal chords again.

He hated waiting.

Finally, just as the doctor predicted, Rex felt an unnoticeable blanket of numbness leave his throat and Rex gave a hearty cough. Gasping for some much needed cool air to soothe his burning throat, Rex finally muttered, "Ho…Holiday, where's…Six?"

"Six is outside Rex. He…felt it was necessary that he removed himself from the situation. He said he felt responsible for what happened," solemnly spoke the doctor, a small frown on her face. Rex closed his eyes as a mountain of guilt slammed into his gut, he felt dreadful for making _him_ feel so depressed. He started to mentally beat himself up for his stupidity; Six was only trying to help him the entire time. Six deserved better…and that was what Rex was going to give him.

Though Rex had solidified his affections for the ex-agent, there was still one problem. One could say that Rex was stuck between a rock and a hard place…this hard place just so happened to be his best friend, and _other savior_, Noah. There was an unpredictable lover's tragedy on his hands. At that moment, Rex knew that now wasn't the time to blindly walk any old path. The path he would decide to tread would inevitably lead him to a great love and a broken heart.

Setting aside these somber thoughts, Rex turned to a more pressing matter at hand, "Holiday…what's going on with my nanites?"

"Rex, there's no easy way for me to tell you, but for reasons even I don't know, your nanites are slowly attacking you from the inside. The amount of serum I've been giving you should have killed any normal human, EVO or the like; it'd be too risky to supply you with any more. The nanites won't be able to function properly for around twenty six hours. However, this is completely dependent on your mental stability. I-I'm sorry Rex, but I don't…don't know what to do anymore," Holiday was crying; her hands were covering her puffy face, the rest of her body was trembling.

She flinched as a worried hand rested on her shoulder. Looking up, she stared into chocolate eyes filled with sadness and affirmation. Rex slowly spoke, his words gaining more confidence and clarity with each word, "Don't worry…Holiday. I'm not going to…give up…just yet. If that's how much time I have, let's use it to our fullest advantage. Bobo, could you get Six?"

"That's the Rex I know! I'm on it, chief!" Said Bobo, overjoyed that Rex was more receptive of them, especially Six. He was going to do everything in his power to make the kid happy, even if that meant bringing Six and the kid closer together.

Over the course of Bobo's stay, Holiday had given further treatment for Bobo's wound. It was thanks to his loyal nanites that his leg's recovery was hastened to that of less than two days. Bobo made careful strides to the front door, peeking back at the scene behind him. Noah showed all the signs of cheerfulness, yet his eyes were sullen and filled with suspicion. Bobo simply brushed it off as 'overanalyzing an overly complicated situation.' At any rate, the chimp quietly opened the door and made his way outside. The sun was lazily setting, leaving a beautiful amber hue in the star's wake. A breeze blew by, it was chilling yet refreshing for the cooped-up simian.

Turning his head to the right, Bobo was greeted by the sight of a less-than-placid Six; his head was leaning against the house, his shades staring up at the darkening sky. One of his arms was rather limp and simply hung down; the other was hidden within his pants pocket.

"How is he, Bobo?" Sighed Six, his voice was low and lethargic; he'd been in that position for well over an hour.

"He just woke up. He wants to see you, are ya ready?" Spoke the simian, curious as to whether Six had improved or not. The two simply stood where they were, neither making a move. It was when Six gave a heavy groan and lifted himself off of the wall and began walking that Bobo knew that the gears were turning.

Once they were inside, Rex immediately asked for the ex-agent to join them so they could discuss their next move. It was then that Six and Noah both blurted out simultaneously, "We should go see Van Kleiss!"

Everyone stared at the two, while Six and Noah glared at each other. It was Rex that spoke up, "What in your right mind makes you guys think that visiting the guy that wants me DEAD to HELP me is a good idea?"

Noah was able to speak before Six could open his mouth, "Rex, there isn't anyone else in the _world_ who has a chance at fixing this. Plus, Van Kleiss has an even greater chance at finding an _acceptable_ solution because he has knowledge of nanites that rivals everyone here."

Six took this break in Noah's speech to interject, "Don't forget Rex, we're here with you. Even if Kleiss is unwilling and the Pack is after us, we won't let anything happen to you. We swore this pledge the moment we began plotting against White. We'll get answers even if it means beating Kleiss to an inch of his life!"

Rex looked at the four before him, Holiday, Bobo, Noah, and Six. All of them had conviction and not a single thread of doubt in their eyes. Rex thought then and there, that he was the luckiest EVO in the world.


	13. Stainless Sedition

Thank you Saiyura, Kaori110, VitaliaSteele, Kereea, bree tennyson, Shadow-L-Chan, and Enemy.X. for the reviews! Okay, enter White Knight; he's the sadistic, cold-hearted, holier-than-thou leader of Providence...and he's out for blood! Anyway, let's get on to the story, enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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A constant thumping raked through the early evening sky, the metallic bird's wings sliced through the cooling air as it fled towards the fading horizon. Though it was used as the vehicle of escape from the world's greatest military facility, it never suffered a single dent, scratch, or bullet piercing. The type of helicopter whizzing through the strong opposing winds was a sturdy, unnamed transport. Its cargo held what might as well been the most precious of treasures in the known world.

The occupants of said helicopter totaled five. The ex-agent was piloting as he did during their escape, and Holiday sat by his side. They were a good team, they knew what was expected of them, and both understood that everything was on the line. Neither looked to each other as unspoken words passed between them and they efficiently maneuvered the ship through the skies. Noah sat closer to the cockpit on the left side, peering over at the panels and buttons, a slight interest shinning in his eyes.

The last two were seated father back in the rickety helicopter, more accustomed to enclosed spaces. Bobo lay on his back as he checked and rechecked his blasters, making absolutely sure they'd faithfully fire and not jam up. The last, but certainly not least, resident of the copter was none other than Rex.

He sat against the right aisle, positioned against the expansive window, peering down at the blurry forests passing beneath him. It was already too dark to locate the copter's shadow against the expansive canopies, but the setting sun gave enough light for our silent hero to glimpse at what little color remained. It had been a little over thirteen hours since their departure from New York, their destination Abysus, and it was utterly boring the entire time. Conversations were sparse; the only time things had actually got heated was about ten minutes into the flight. Rex was quite startled at what the occupants were arguing about, but it ended on a comfortable note…

"Where did you guys come across a helicopter?" Questioned Noah, giving curious glances around the cockpit and its numerous controls. He never did get to learn how to fly one of these before.

"Holiday and I selected this aircraft before we escaped. It fit all of our needs-", "You what?" Panicked Noah, a strange glint in his eyes flashed up as he began to weave through the aircraft making his way towards the rear, before turning around again.

"Are you telling me, you guys stole of one of Providence's helicopters for your escape? You do realize that White isn't as stupid as you seem to think. _All of his toys_ are marked. White can easily lock on to this vehicle's homing beacon and track us down!" Shouted a frazzled Noah, hands clenched into fists as he spat out Knight's name.

"Noah, calm down! I reversed engineered the helicopter's signaling systems soon after leaving Providence. White doesn't have any way of tracking down this helicopter. I've also rewired it so even if White gets any visuals, the helicopter will scramble any nearby systems so we'll have a greater chance at escape during the ensuing chaos," spoke Holiday.

The dramatics degenerated from there on, where Noah apologized for the misunderstanding and everything returned to normal. If your definition of normal being quiet and boring. With nothing to do but eat the food the others stocked up on before their flight and watching the forests and mountains rush by, Rex was forced to figuratively take a step back and simply look at the situation he was in.

'I have less than a day left before my time runs out. We'll definitely make it in time at this rate; Abysus isn't too far from here…but what if _I_ don't make it?' Rex pondered the consequences of his death; the pain he suffered had shot through his mind, jumping to be the first priority. It wasn't so much a selfish decision, as it was an instinctual one; pain was an excellent motivator, consciously or not.

Rex never experienced a pain like it before, though. He couldn't decide whether the pain was more like claws and knives carving him up from the inside…or like he'd just swallowed a terrible, corrosive acid. Either way, what his nanites were doing inside him made Rex nauseous just imagining it. His thoughts grew ever more morbid as time passed and his psyche slowly declined into a more damaged state.

Bobo watched Rex from the sidelines, careful to study every expression he made. It was rather simple for him to decipher what the troubled teen was thinking; he had, after all, been friends with Rex since as far back as he could remember. The chimp was about to comfort the poor kid, when Noah beat him to it. He let out an inaudible sigh and sat back down; mentally preparing himself for whatever Kleiss would throw at them if things went awry. Noah could talk to Rex; if Rex trusted the kid, then the simian would too.

Watching Bobo sit back down and close his eyes, Noah turned back toward the listless teen gazing out of the window. He sauntered over and took a seat besides the brunette and waited for Rex to take notice of him. After a minute of complete obliviousness, Noah cleared his throat, which jostled the boy next to him, and opened his mouth to speak, "Rex, what's bothering you?"

"Oh, it's nothing Noah, nothing's wrong," tensed Rex, anticipating further probing.

"Rex, we've been through a lot together, and when I say _we_, I mean everyone in this helicopter. Six, Holiday, Bobo, and I…we all care for you. We're going to get a cure for your nanites and there's nothing that's going to stop us. We're going to get through this," reassured Noah, giving Rex a solid hug.

Rex reddened from the tingling embrace, his feelings once again swallowing him whole. Who was he going to choose? What would he do? These and other thoughts surfaced from his somber mind and disrupted his depressing train of thought in the blink of an eye. Noah gave a final pat on his back and returned to his side of the copter to catch some shut eye, his objective accomplished.

'Noah's right,' Rex reckoned; he shouldn't have even thought about all those useless 'what-if's. He needed to protect his friends, they were risking their lives, and he should at least reciprocate their courage. Rex joined the others throughout the cabin as he closed his eyes and began to calm himself. If he was to be at the top of his game, powers or not, he would need to be completely focused for Van Kleiss and the Pack.

"Six, you've been flying over ten hours nonstop, don't you think that I should take over?" Holiday whispered, well aware of the meditative states of the three in the back, and courteous enough to stay quiet.

"I know how far away Abysus is, Holiday, we'll be arriving at the borders within the next half-hour. I don't intend to fly too close; I don't want to risk the copter to be shot down. If we can keep up a decent pace, we'll have several hours to spare," muttered Six, concentrating fully on the dark looming mountains and dead forests ahead. It was only a matter of time before they'd be facing off with one of the strongest EVOs on the planet. Besides, Six remarkably didn't feel tired at all; no fatigue, no disorientation, and the urge to kill for Rex stronger than ever.

Kilometers away, a man sat languidly in his white chair, a lazy smile gracing his hardened face. He wrapped up the last of the dealings concerning the massive embezzlements that he secretly held. Breaking the wills of useless garbage was such an enjoyable pastime; it was so easy to fool others into investing their livelihoods into Providence. He'd simply have them disappear once they ran out of money.

The melodies of Bach softly played behind the tenacious man as he gave a small stretch and waltzed over towards the massive window panes that adorned his workplace. The sun had long set, a swath of darkness descended onto the barren landscape. That was, until the fires sprang up again. Those putrid beasts were still fighting for their lives…pathetic.

He gave a hearty laugh as more and more of the genetically mutated EVOs poured out from the Providence doors only to meet a highly expendable army blocking their path to freedom. He watched, his grin only widening, as his soldiers in the front line were ripped to shreds. He jovially barked at how weak they all were; he wiped away some tears that formed from his hysterical laughing. White reprimanded himself saying, "Well, you can't expect the stupid to live for long…"

Strolling back inside, he gave a contented sigh as he surveyed his perfect room. Why was it so ideal? Was it the high-tech machinery that connected the man to every corner of the world and then some? Was it the luxurious furnishings that lay scattered throughout his palace-for-a-room? No, the one defining reason why everything was as it should be was that everything was white. The color was perfect, no blemishes, and no impurities. It was clean and neat. There weren't any stains or filth that littered his domain; he made sure that nothing went wrong with _his_ living quarters.

Ending his inward chatter, he turned his mind's attention to how perfect their plan was. 'It went just as he predicted. He predicted that brat Rex stumbling onto the machine, those traitors' escape, and even those fool's travel to Abysus. His intellect might even surpass my own! Well, if it wasn't for _my_ Providence, his little plan would never have come true!'

"Those fools. You think that I know nothing? As if you insects can stop me…" spat White, pulling out his personal communicator, furiously dialing numbers, and impatiently waited for the other end to pick up.

BEEP BEEP BEEP…BEEP BEEP BEEP…"Yes sir?"

"Progress report Agent Eight," droned White, tired of how formal he dared himself to be towards his subordinates.

"The party has landed several kilometers from Abysus' center. None of the party's members seem to suspect me. Rex's condition has stabilized for now; however, it is expected to worsen-", "I don't care about that brat! Estimate time of arrival, now!"

"…We are expected to reach Van Kleiss within twenty six minutes…sir. I think-" White shut off the communicator and set it down next to his computer, irritated at how slow the agent had taken to respond. He walked toward the ivory refrigerator and poured himself a glass of cold milk. After a few hearty swigs, he removed some pills from the inside of his brilliant white jacket and swallowed some of them with the rest of the drink.

Setting the empty glass aside, he strolled back towards his communicator, and zipped through another set of numbers, awaiting the others to answer his call, "Yes sir?"

At least _some things_ worked properly.

"The party is expected to arrive in less than twenty six minutes. Take out the target using the prescribed weaponry and leave no traces…make it as painful as possible. Do not at any moment allow the target to come to the understanding that you're under my orders. Once the target is neutralized, return to base for further instruction. That is all," White drilled; he had run through the plan thousands of times, and it was all coming to fruition.

Knight turned off the communicator and made his way back towards the panoramic view of his living space. It was amusing; looking down at the cheap soldiers continue to fight against the growing number of EVOs. A great portion of his army had already been slaughtered; their pathetic weapons would never stand up against the tough hides of the super-EVOs. Eyes narrowing, he spun around and made his way to the doors that were locked nearly all year round. Even the king cannot last long without his disposable pawns…he was disgusted at how poorly the soldiers were trained. Forcing their master to fight such filthy animals.

'Well, _this army_ has run its course anyway, it's time to make some changes in the coming days…but first, let's put an end to this silly, little farce.'


	14. Aluminum Altruism

Thank you VitaliaSteele, Kereea, and Saiyura for the reviews! Alright, just so people don't get confused, White has an accomplice besides Agent Eight, okay? This means that there are two more people working against Rex. Now we come to the point where I must deliver somber news...ALL members of the Pack are going to be bad guys. *please don't hit me!* Anyway, this includes Breach, whom I admire very much, sorry Breach! DX Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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The incessant imaginary ticking was slowly driving our hurried hero insane. It was as if his mind had split into a ridiculous alter-ego that relished in reminding Rex that he was strained on time. The ticking was really bugging him.

This and many more peculiar mental anomalies plagued the teen as the silent group crept closer and closer to the eerie, dank caste that hovered above the mist-laden forests that was Abysus. The vegetative state of the dreary nanite infested land was quite different close up compared to a view over one thousand feet in the air. Then again, it was difficult to see anything past the troublesome fog that hung in the humid air. The plant life didn't consist of man-eating trees or vicious serpentine vines, though, everything was quite and calm. If Rex could gaze past the gnarled branches and the unhealthy shades of ash splattered onto the bark, he would have been perfectly fine waltzing through the jungle.

The ground was moist and was carpeted with the rotting leaves and branches of the apparently dying foliage. Even though the group was able to work through the dense vegetation in a stealthy manner, the ground was quite deceiving at a single glance. The actual dirt ground could have been a centimeter beneath the fallen leaves in certain areas, and at other times, it plunged to nearly a whole meter. Six, being trained in such situations, obviously led the party, while everyone mimicked each and every step the ex-agent took, insuring their safety.

These and other covert techniques were utilized, which would also explain why no one dared utter a word. Everything was conveyed via hand signals, and other times, only by the nearly unnoticeable nods of the stoic man. This bored the teen to tears, despite the solemnity of the circumstances. Thus, he was currently preoccupied, or rather distracted, by the constant ticking in his head.

'C'mon Rex, focus on what's ahead of you…ugh, why does this always happen to me?' Thought an irate Rex, tired of his sub-consciousness' antics. He could have sworn his started seeing glimpses of himself, holding a gleaming pocket watch in front of him, to his sides, and even floating a few feet ahead of him. He must have been going insane…or maybe the nanites were acting up again.

"_Rex…you need to hurry…before time runs out…"_ Yup, he was going insane.

Before he was dragged further into his apparently self-induced madness, he bumped his nose into the back of Noah, who had suddenly stopped. Giving the blond an apologetic look, Rex rubbed his nose from the unexpected impact, and tilted his head to the side to get a view of what was happening ahead. It was most likely a fortunate distraction, the ticking, because the group was already outside the crumbling castle walls.

The walls were magnificent, in a dilapidated sort of way. Vines and moss covered most of the brick and mortar, and several dried up vines had already infiltrated the fortress through cracks in the stone. Lifting his head, he noticed glass windows about twenty feet above their heads; the windows were probably Six's goal in the first place since he stopped the group with his hand signals…'he never was a guy that took the easy way in.'

"Hmm…this is too easy. Don't it seem like we're being set up, chief?" Bobo whispered to Rex, who was strolling besides the chimp. After their somewhat annoying climb into the castle, they had been stalking through the darkened corridors, closing in on the elusive Kleiss, for what seemed like hours. During the entire infiltration, no alarms were set off, no hints of any guards, no Pack members to speak of, and most disturbingly, no Van Kleiss. It was as if the whole building was completely void of life. If this was true, then Rex was really in trouble. None of the conspirators even anticipated this outrageous possibility; they'd thought that Kleiss wasn't the kind of man to 'abandon ship.'

As such, Six sped up the search to a quick jog to cover more ground, disregarding their clattering footsteps echoing through the empty hallways. It was more than likely that the man had already known on their presence. No one seemed to mind the change of course from the secretive break-in to the all-out frontal attack. Rex had less than four hours left, according to the somber doctor.

All eyes were on the shadows as their pace quickened from a moderate jog to a hearty sprint; they were careful to NOT repeat the tragedy that occurred during the Providence escape. The only lighting that illuminated their paths was from the antique candelabras hooked into the rock walls. The fixtures were of varying sizes and colors, ranging from the miniscule and bronze to the grand and golden. The flames flickered ominously in the drafty granite chambers, reminding our hero of just how fragile a single flame was, just like his life.

After an agonizingly quiet dash up and down staircases, through numerous rooms, and smashing through wooden locked doors, Rex realized that if only he had his powers he could determine the EVO's whereabouts via nanites. He collapsed against a wooden door to his left as a tinge of regret and slight pain pulsed through his body; everyone rushed to his side.

"Rex, are you alright? Holiday how much more time do we have?" Questioned the stern ex-agent, the sweat on his forehead glistened against the candle light. He wasn't tired in the slightest from the constant running; the drained look on his face was due to the stress and worry focused on the buckling teen that was currently using Bobo as a crutch.

"We have three hours left, Six. At this rate, I don't-", "Stop Holiday. We're definitely going to make it…"

Rex stood up, dusting off his pants as if it was nothing, and looked the doctor in the eye. There wasn't any spite or disgust like before; it was filled with a sincere yet confident gleam that lifted the woman's spirits. Yet at the same time, only deepened her sadness for the teen…'he doesn't deserve this…'

Blinking away her tears, Holiday gave a trembling hug to the surprised teen and shouted, "Then we'd better get going then, right?"

No one had truly understood the size of the castle, even from above. As it turns out, the castle was much like a termite colony; the surface building was merely the tip of the iceberg. The team slowly grasped the sheer size of the structure as they delved deeper into the very soil of Abysus, the light of the sun replaced by those of thousands of flickering flames. How Kleiss managed to keep up with the maintenance of so many candles was beyond the group members.

It was only after some thousand feet down did they come across two heavy iron doors at the bottom of the staircase. The lights of the candles were then replaced by the natural fluorescence of glowing plant life as they walked closer to their apparent goal. What the team found disturbing was not how gargantuan the doors were, rather it was the blood splatters and claw marks etched into the metal. There was a battle here, quite recent too, but this didn't deter the group. Three hours left…

Preparing for the worst, Rex was about to barge right into the vaulted room, when a hand grasped his shoulder, stopping the tenacious teen from advancing any further. Spinning Rex around, Six was a mere foot away from the teen's face. Ignoring the urge to quench the boiling passion for the hero, Six tempered himself and spoke with a tone of importance, "Rex, whatever happens in there, I just want you to know…I'm sorry for everything I've done up to now. From even before I met you, I've been deceiving you. If I hadn't been following White's orders, you might still have your powers and you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Si-Six…Don't worry. I know what White's capable of; if I was in your position I think I've done the same thing. But all that's in the past, you here now, we're all here," Rex spoke. He stuttered at first from the close proximity, but shook the feeling off, knowing that this was paramount. Rex turned around after Six let go of him and began to walk closer to the doors; if it wasn't for the 'battle' the doors might've been impossible for the team to open. Unbeknownst to Rex, a certain blond was struggling to keep his temper under control; he knew that now wasn't time _or_ the place, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the ex-agent's advances. And so, with great difficulty, Noah resumed his original demeanor and made his way to follow the rest of the group.

If only they had known what awaited them on the other side of those doors.

No one had expected what lay before their eyes. Blood was everywhere, the signs of battle evident from the disintegrating vines, claw marks, smashed walls, and shards of crystal embedded into the ground. As the group made their way to the center, they came across the ghost of the feared man that they were seeking. He was a sad sight to see; he wasn't even strong enough to open his auburn eyes to greet his audience. His arsenic grey hair lay matted against the ground and his face, soaked in what probably his own blood. His clothes were shredded and filled with holes; he must have been fighting for his life. The reason why he didn't seem to be regenerating was probably due to the gigantic piece of machinery that pierced his chest and it seemed to be pumping a black liquid into him.

"S-so…it has come…to this. Here to finish me off?" Sputtered Kleiss, blood dripping from his lips. He was too weak to open his eyes, but he could still recognize their presence.

"What are yo-", Kleiss gasped as a sudden rush of pain swept through his body. His eyes shot open as the machine was tossed aside, its foul fluids continuing to flow out of its needle-like projections. Realizing the horrid pump was removed Kleiss used his powers to dissolve himself into the nanite-rich rock below him.

"Rex! Why did you do that?" Shouted several members of the group for Rex's doing; the others focused on locating the EVO.

"He was dying. I know that _he's_ dangerous and what I _did_ was dangerous, but I had to help him. Besides, we need him alive to-", "Need me alive to do…what exactly?"

The group spun around to see Van Kleiss emerge from the soil healed, a little worse for wear, but healed nonetheless. He held an intrigued yet troubled look on his face as he used one of his vines to quickly encase the whole group, locking them in place.

"I have no need to kill you people. In fact, without you coming along, I certainly would have perished…But I can't seem to piece together _why_ you of all people saved me, Rex," spoke Kleiss his gaze never leaving the surprisingly calm teen. The child wasn't even struggling to free himself.

"I appreciate your kindness, I really do. So what, may I ask, do you need of me?" Questioned the man as he decided the constraining vines were no longer needed. As everyone went silent, Rex stepped forward, never breaking eye contact.

"My nanites are killing me. I need your help," stated Rex, prepared for whatever Kleiss had in store for him. After what was probably the longest staring contest in recorded history, Kleiss broke away and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

"How did this come about? Was there an accident?" Questioned the vegetative EVO as he tilted his head in curiosity. Six and the others were all apprehensive of the powerful EVO before them, but Rex didn't seem to be fazed while conversing with the man. He treated it like a simple casual talk with an old acquaintance. However, the subject of the conversation was anything but casual and as for the acquaintance…

"None of us are sure of why it's happening, but we know that it has something to do with White Knight-", "I thought that bastard had a hand in this mess…"

"It appears we have a common enemy; White's only growing more powerful with the betrayal of the Pack. I propose we join forces," muttered Kleiss, pensive over the traitorous deed whose evidence lay strewn across the room.

'White…how many years ago has it been…since you've fallen?'


	15. Reciprocating Rankine

Thank you Kereea, VitaliaSteele, Saiyura, and Shadow-L-Chan for the reviews! Alright, I'm not going to let my school work stop me from writing, so expect a rise in updates for some time! ^^ Rex finally gets what he needs, and no, it isn't Six's affection...yet. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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With the warmth of a million candles in the air and the cool touch of the metal handrail attached to the side of the rock wall, only the tapping of shoes echoed throughout the silent stairwell. Rex focused on the soles of Six's black shoes as he followed closely behind; the ex-agent took the initiative to stay between the young hero and the seemingly neutral EVO that lead the party's way back up to the surface. After the three, Bobo tagged right after Rex, followed by a distant Holiday while the blond that brought up the rear. With all heads present and accounted for, the group had traversed up through the stone flight nearly four minutes ago.

Rex couldn't believe what was happening. Sure he was adamant in his faith for his friends' success, but to come across the surreal defeat of the powerful mastermind was quite unexpected. He wasn't sure himself why he thought it was a good idea to take out the machine that was probably the only thing keeping the psycho from outright murdering him. On top of that, Kleiss _agreed_ to heal him; talk about generous. Strangely, Rex would have never bought a second of that speech Kleiss spoke, yet here he was, with everyone else, to get Rex healed.

Shirking off the utter ludicrousness of the occasion, Rex focused on what else had been scratching at the back of his mind, a pressing thought in need of attention. Rex's mild demeanor soured slightly as he raised his voice over the echoing footsteps, "Van Kleiss, if the Pack really did betray you, what happened to Circe?"

Despite the gravity of the question, Van Kleiss kept to his silent beat as he pressed up through the stairwell, never faltering in his steps, "She betrayed me, along with Biowolf, Skalamander, and Breach. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that she betrayed you as well…since she is under the authority of Knight."

"How can we trust you?" Countered Bobo, his voice hinting suspicion and was laced with wariness.

"Hmm…I suppose that the only evidence to support my accusations would have to be my blood that bathed the walls and flooring of _that_ room. I assure you that I speak the truth, I definitely would have died if not for your timely arrival," calmly spoke the man in front. The entire conversation was deeply worrisome for Rex, not only since Kleiss could have been lying through his teeth, but because Kleiss had been uncharacteristically despondent with his replies. What was talking wasn't the confident, maniacal super-villain Rex knew; the tone of his voice was unusually dull.

Quickly losing patience in the man, Six menacingly demanded, "Kleiss, when will you follow through with your word? When will you heal Rex?"

"All in good time sir; I will definitely heal poor Rex, before he is consumed of course, but from what I have gathered, Rex's _affliction_ is beyond a permanent solution. For now, anyway, we'll need to travel up to the surface of Abysus for me to be able to start the…procedure. The soil of Abysus may be drenched in succulent nanites, but the surface is brimming with life. I can't gather much energy from rock, the plant life on the other hand…' Kleiss drifted off after his little lecture. Now _that_ was the Kleiss Rex knew. It seemed even the betrayal of his most loyal of followers couldn't suppress the man's urge to poke some fun at the stoic and irked Six.

"Hey, wait a minute, why can't you use your powers to get us there faster? Y'know, like all those shifty rock things you did when we first met. Also, why aren't we running? We're here to save Rex, not take a tour of your dumb castle," interjected Bobo, who seemed quite furious at the implicated ineptitude of the EVO mastermind. This caught the attention of everyone besides Kleiss, who simply stopped, turned around to get a glimpse of a fist-clenched animal EVO, and brushed off the glare to continue climbing up the winding stairs.

"First off, don't talk so loudly in an enclosed rock staircase, it echoes terribly. Second, even though my powers are functioning properly, it doesn't mean that it's reached the right levels I require. It will take time for my strength to store up for the operation; besides, I am a master at sensing nanites, I've calculated the amount of time Rex has left, and he still has plenty of it. We'll be able to save Rex before his timer runs out," spoke Van Kleiss, slightly annoyed at the chimp for underestimating his prowess.

"Third, it's to be expected that one would be tired from being brought back from the brink of death. I never go back on my word, this is the ideal choice of action to saving Rex," assured Kleiss, their adventure in the twisting staircase coming to an end. The light of day could be seen breaking through the shadowy darkness at the top of the flight.

The group emerged from the murky doorway and slowly picked up the pace as they traveled this way and that until finally meeting a pair of grand stairs that led to the entrance. Despite the battle-worn castle's exterior, the furniture and fixings of the stony abode were kept in relatively good condition. The infiltrators never took much notice to anything else besides the signs of the EVO, so it was quite shocking to see fine, silk tapestries and shiny armor set up across the entirety of the fortress.

There was a sharp pain for most of the members of the group as they exited the forlorn castle. After having their eyes withheld to only the dim light of candles and fluorescent plants for well over an hour, the harsh beating of the sun was a major wakeup call for everyone; everyone except Six, who had his trusty shades to bear the brunt of the daylight.

Once the instinctual raising of hands had sufficiently blocked enough light, the group hastened to follow the resolute man that continued to walk through the jungle. The peculiar forest's heat had only intensified as the day reached its peak, to the dismay of the group, but they forced themselves on, their goal within reach. It was, however, good news that the irritating mists from the morning had faded as the warmth of the sun evaporated the stubborn moisture. Additionally, Kleiss had alerted the group that they were nearing their location for the operation.

Suddenly, Kleiss stopped in the middle of path, and stretched his hands outward to the left and right. Immediately, the plants slowly parted farther and farther away from the group, leaving the most meager of grass behind. After the mass migration of the frenzied vegetation, Kleiss asked Rex to follow him, motioning toward the center of the patchy field. The man simply said that for everyone else's safely, they 'keep their distance.'

It was a few meters away, yet the dull thrum of nature stilled considerably as the two marched to their destination. It was ominous, foreboding, and intangible, but Rex could have sworn that if he listened a little harder, he could have heard the drums that pulsed with a fervent warning of some impending doom. Despite this upheaval of Rex's intuition, he couldn't help but trust the man in front of him.

As the two stopped, dead silence between them, Kleiss opened his mouth to speak, "Rex, do you trust me?"

With little hesitation, Rex quickly nodded his head in affirmation. With the small gesture of trust, Kleiss closed his russet eyes and drew in a deep, meditative breathe. At that moment, Rex felt…'aware.'

He could _feel_ the world around him; it was drawing closer toward him…no…toward Kleiss. He was absorbing the 'life' around him and preparing for whatever 'procedure' he had in mind. It was incredible to say the least; the presence of all the animals and plant life within the reigns of his senses was being sucked into a single entity; an entity which occupied our resident Kleiss. However, when Rex squinted his eyes for a closer look, nothing was dying, nothing was shriveling, it was like something _more_ was being taken. It was amazing.

Opening his eyes again, the man's eyes were filled with a swirling energy; Rex would go so far as to say they glowed. In a solemn voice Kleiss warned Rex to steady himself, "Prepare yourself; it WILL hurt."

After a split second to comply with Kleiss' advice, the man slammed his mechanical claw into Rex's mid-section. The 'dysfunctional' nanites were then pumped from Rex and into Kleiss himself. At this, both screamed bloody murder as excruciating pain blasted through them. Rex was screaming because being stabbed with anything was painful, but Kleiss was screaming from the pain of the nanites. It seemed that the transaction between the two had jostled the nanites into dismembering its current host again. This host just so happened to be Kleiss' arm at the moment.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kleiss managed to remove the deadly nanites from Rex's body and into his own. The teen tumbled backward and fainted. Falling to the ground, Six appeared right behind the drained teen and caught him. Kleiss meanwhile hurriedly plunged his infected and now deteriorating hand into the soft earth to release the damaging nanites.

It took little over a few seconds to send the lethal machines into the ground, but what happened next was outright disturbing. The nanite infested ground quickly dissolved into blackened soot that resembled a rotten corpse ravaged by time. The machines then persisted to infect other nanites in the ground like a contagious virus and led to writhing black tendrils to slowly transverse across the field. Quickly using his powers, Kleiss generated large vines to scoop up the black mass to stop the contamination from progressing further, but the moment the vines touched the ground, the plants wilted to dust. Everything that seemed to come into contact with the rouge nanites simply died.

Panic flashed across Kleiss' deeply disturbed face and quickly turned to the crouching Six who lay the sleeping teen down on the ground. Kleiss shouted, "Six, use your katanas' magnetic powers to lift the buried metals located beneath the infection!"

Without a second of hesitation, Six went for his retractable blades and leaped into the air above the craggy black ground, combining the katanas to activate the magnets. In an instant, slabs of iron and nickel were drawn up through the softened soil. The metals were clumped up in small orbs with the first few seconds, but moments later, the ground began to shake. A small hill of shining grey and charcoal metals shot up and efficiently separating the tainted dirt from the rest of the nanite abundant soil. As everyone watched attentively, the pulsating tendrils weren't able to pass through the course nanite-free metals and eventually shriveled up into tiny black specks.

It was a quick relief for many, until they were snapped from their self-assured safety when the metallic mass collapsed slightly into the ground with a crash. Since the metals from the ground had been removed, small air pockets were formed underneath the heavy metals. Add in the soft, malleable soil, and it was only natural for the air to escape and cause the metal to cave in slightly. However, this occurred only once and the rest of the pile managed to stay above ground and keep the polluted earth isolated.

Releasing a thankful sigh, Kleiss straightened up from his frazzled posture beforehand and spoke, "Thank you Six. I had a hunch that something nasty would happen, so I had the operation here above the concentrated metal deposits…although, I never expected such a destructive response from the removed nanites. In fact, if hadn't acted any faster to remove the nanites from my arm, I'm sure that I would have been deconstructed down to nothing. The fact that the odds were so steep against me, I am quite relieved that this ordeal is done with."

With a respectably low bow, for Six's standards, the ex-agent rushed back towards the slumbering teen, never meeting the tired gaze of those russet eyes. Realizing the worst was behind them, the rest of the worried group rushed over to where Rex lay. With his powers, Kleiss healed his damaged hand and dusted himself off. After meeting his levels of acceptable cleanliness, Kleiss donned a small smile as he address the others, "Everyone! I know that today has been exceedingly taxing, I should know, but regular Abysusian weather calls for an excruciatingly warm day. Let's head back to the castle. Though I'm low on staff, I think I can make some accommodations for you all."

"Finally, I've been sweating the entire time, let's go people! The guy's treatin' us," rambunctiously yelled Bobo, as he clamored for the others to speed up their walking. Six and Holiday had helped carry the resting hero as they made their way back to the castle. Van Kleiss held the back of the group as he watched the others proceed, giving a final once-over toward the now non-existent field that led to the black substance in the glass vial he held in his pocket.

Just before leaving, Kleiss asked Six for another favor; to cut out the portion of the metal hill that supported the destructive nanite soil. It took barely any effort for the skilled assassin to cut through the raw ore, and so little time was spent for Kleiss to safely maneuver the pieces into a glass vial he carried around with him. If the nanites couldn't travel through solid metal, then glass should be no different.

Peering into the container, Kleiss could still see the small pieces moving, 'My word, boy, you certainly are a dangerous child…aren't you?'


	16. Tapped Tension

Thank you ChimeraRaven33, Hatter Madigan, VitaliaSteele, bree tennyson, and Ortho for the reviews! Rex takes the next step in regaining his powers! Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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The cold lonely castle had been quite active over the course of six hours since the group's return. After unpacking their belongings, Kleiss stood true to his word and made preparations for everyone. It was rather hectic without an organized method to cater to everyone's belongings, but eventually, everything seemed to find its own little space. It took six hours; though, the majority of the group didn't take the remaining time to sleep. It was far from over; Rex may have escaped death, but White wasn't going to stop.

They all worked over their plans to prepare for Knight's inevitable strike; it was a phenomenal help to know that they had Kleiss on their side, but then again, the Pack was a fearsome foe; they had been able to bring Kleiss to his knees once before. It was definitely far from over.

It was a given that they'd never return to Noah's apartment, it was too 'obvious' a target for White's armies and it would be difficult to defend should White's forces confront them. Furthermore, the apartment may have been large for normal living conditions, but it would never been able to hold all of them. Bobo's sleeping quarters being the couch made it quite clear that it was too small.

And so here was Rex, striding through the castle corridors in the early morning sun; he being the only one to get a good night's sleep. If only that last part had been true…he was still having bizarre dreams.

It was then that he spotted Holiday and Kleiss making their way down the same winding staircase that the infiltrators discovered yesterday. They seemed to get along well together; they were avidly talking about some kind of nanite suppressant…it seemed that it was same one that Rex was given back at the apartment.

"So where did you come across such a hypnotic, was of your own design?" Pondered Kleiss, opening the door for the doctor to follow close behind as they descendent down the flight.

"Actually, I don't know of the serum's origins, Providence wouldn't comply with my inquiries. As far as my study of the substance went, it was biological in origin, but that's not all. It seemed to be able to interact with the nanites on a nanoscopic level, I don't really know how to explain it, but I guess the best analogy would be akin to water's 'sphere of hydration.' The substance's molecules simply surrounded the nanites and blocked off all connections, effectively shutting the machines down for some time…as long as the molecules would stay intact, because due to its biologic components, it would deteriorate with time."

"Hmm…I see…fascinating. Do you believe Rex's serum dose and the serum within the machine that was attached to me were one and the same?" Wondered Kleiss, his interest piqued by the possibility of an 'anti-venom.'

"Yes, I do. Although the dosages were remarkably different in concentration, I gave Rex a severely diluted dose. I think the machine was pumping into you a concentration at least five hundred times greater," estimated Holiday, her hand on the rail slipping into her pocket and her other hand moving to carry the clipboard she carried more appropriately. Rex didn't dare follow after them, confident that nothing fishy was going to happen. He simply sat behind the outside of the doorway, the echoes of their conversation reaching his ears with ease.

As the two made their way back to the bottom of the stairwell, Kleiss unlocked the doors and walked in to activate his powers. He generated a forest of fluorescent plants that hung from the ceiling, bathing the room with ample light.

The room had been drastically morphed from an empty blood-splattered battle field into a fully furnished laboratory. At least _none_ of the six hours had been wasted…it may have seemed functional, but there were plenty of missing components. That's the problem of hurriedly escaping a military facility and combining it with a ransacked lab, not enough stuff. Although, even though they were limited in their resources, they were more than qualified in the genius division.

They began to type, nothing spoken between the two as they studied the black residue of Rex's berserk nanites. It was Kleiss who broke the silence a few seconds into the analysis, "How long has it been since the explosion, dear Holiday?"

The doctor stopped typing at the question and quickly answered, "Fifteen years."

An agonizingly slow three seconds past before Holiday went back to typing and Kleiss muttered, "That long now, has it?"

When Rex heard the doors close down below, he realized that his eavesdropping was over and continued his stroll through the fortress. Even though there wasn't any noise, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was more of a soothing quietness, like right after a storm. Sadly, it seemed that the dregs of the typhoon continue to ravage the recuperating teen that walked through the stone hallways.

Rex's face grimaced as another flashback rebounded through his head; it was about the nanite operation again. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as the experience back at the apartment; _that_ was unbearable. Thankfully, it was quick, and as soon as it blasted through his mind, it faded back out into non-existence. It was peculiar that so many flashbacks, dreams, and hallucinations had been occurring in such a short amount of time. His dream last night was particularly strange.

In his latest dream, he had met up with his other self with the pocket watch. He seemed rather fond of it, as the dream Rex refused to hand it over. Rex wasn't sure what else was going on, otherwise it would've been a very boring dream, but Rex could only remember the conversation.

"_Prepare for the future struggle…and don't lose sight of your goal."_ Man, his dream self was crazy.

Despite the absurdity of the dream, it still held promise. If he was ever going to get his powers back, he'd need to 'prepare' for it…which for Rex, meant training. Even since waking up, he felt a tiny spark within him. It was small and faint, but was still there. Rex just knew that there was a chance of his powers coming back, so he began to pick up the speed in his morning walk. A few long strides turned into a furious run down the stony pathways and Rex soon found himself outside the castle walls. The sun was already out, but the soft ash grey clouds blocked the harsh rays, keeping them from heating up the ground to blistering temperatures. 'Perfect for training; maybe I should move out of the way, so I don't hurt anyone,' thought Rex.

After straying from the path and making his way to a sizable clearing, Rex folded his legs and sat beneath the shade of a lush non-EVO looking tree near the edge. A brisk wind picked up as Rex closed his eyes to focus on that little spark. Mentally calling out to his nanites, he could feel the energy fluctuate slightly, and he grinned in success. Rex felt the spark grow, but only just; it was going to take a while, but Rex was adamant in his goal. Unfortunately, this work in progress was cut short as footsteps approached him from the front.

Opening his eyes, Rex saw a pair of bistre colored shoes with a fluttering black cape following close behind. Without looking up, the teen called out, "What do you want Kleiss?"

"Only here to give some much needed guidance for a certain teen's development," merrily responded the man, a hint of enjoyment mixed into his comment.

"Thanks for the help, but I'm sure that I can take care of myself on _my own_," spoke Rex, closing his eyes again to refocus on his spark.

"Really now? And I thought a young lad such as yourself would love to learn as to why their powers left them…Oh well, I guess another time then," said Kleiss, briefly bowing and turning around to head back to the castle.

"WAIT! What did you say?" Hurried Rex; genuinely surprised that the cause of his disorder had been deduced so quickly.

Stopping mid-stride, the man turned around to face his company. Raising his clawed hand, Kleiss asked, "Do you know what this does? This horrendous claw of mine can do much more than simply drain and expel nanites. It helps amplify my nanite sensing abilities."

"When I felt those nasty nanites flowing through this claw, I could analyze what emotions that were being carried with them," spoke Kleiss.

Pointing his finger at the teen, the man continued, "What I analyzed was a plethora of emotions. It completely flooded me to the point where I was nearly too slow to dispose of the machines, but within the limited time I had, I decoded a single emotion that blanketed all others. That emotion was fear."

"I am not stupid, Rex. I know you've held feelings for _that man_ for quite some time, but rest assured, I could care less that it was him. Although, because the fear of losing him was so great, because the fear of being alone was so immense, it consumed you…and your nanites. As a response, your nanites went hay-wire. From what I gathered, you held an outward appearance of spite towards everyone while they were at Noah's apartment. I see that your infatuation was, even then, still growing for Six, wasn't it?"

Rex's eyes widened as he made the connection; he had always held feelings for Six…even then.

"Rex, the only 'advice' I can give you, is that the only way to regain complete control of your powers, the only way to reach your full potential…is to leave Six. It's because of him that you're in this situation. You must let go of your love for Six in order to take back you nanites and your powers. If you don't, I can't guarantee you'll be safe from another nanite attack. In fact, the complications may worsen over time, and I might not be there to save you a second time," spoke Kleiss. He used his powers this time and shrank into the ground, probably headed back to the castle to leave the teen to his thoughts.

'…Is this really it? What now?' Thought Rex, completely unsure of himself. Looking within him, he could feel the spark wax and wane in strength, like a quiet flickering candle. Rex was at a cross-road, one road led to his powers, the other, his love. Chuckling, Rex opened his eyes to look up at the swaying thin branches of the tree above him.

It was slowly becoming windier and a particularly strong gust stirred up and broke off a branch which fell in front of Rex's folded lap. Picking up the torn limb, Rex studied the bright green leaves that were budding from its grayish bark. The poor foliage didn't even get a chance to fully grow.

Turning around, Rex shoveled out some soft earth near the roots with his other hand and planted the branch. He knew that without roots, the branch would surely die, but he did it anyway. Dusting himself off he spoke, "I'll just have to forge my own path then."

Flicking off the pieces of dirt that stuck to his hands and pants, he made his way to the middle of the small meadow. He didn't know where this new path would take him, but at least he was never one to give up. Letting his eyelids fall shut, he kept his arms outstretched, embracing the winds that blew through the field. Inhaling deeply, Rex took in all the doubt, all the pain, and all the fear within him and screamed out to the heavens with all his might. Though it lasted for a few seconds, his cry could have smashed through time itself, rebounding through the centuries. As his voice faded, another power grew in response.

The all too familiar bluish-neon lines glowed all around his body, his nanites reacting to his battle-cry. With a jump start, Rex felt that spark explode into a storm of energy, brimming with the same fiery emotion that flashed beneath the teen's dark brown eyes.

With a revitalized hope in each step, Rex made his way back to the castle, a grin plastered on his face. Nothing was going to stop him and he was going to kick White's ass, with his friends help of course. As the teen walked back to the stone fortress, he failed to sense the presence of another man who hid himself amongst the shadows of the thick conifers and other trees.

The man clad in a myrtle colored suit made his way to where Rex had been sitting for the past fifteen minutes. The man took off his dark shades to gaze up at the broken limb and back down to the mound of dirt with the stick fixed upright in the middle. Peering closer, he noticed something quite unusual; the nanite infused plant was growing roots straight into the mound. 'I suppose even plants have a will to live.'

Setting his dark glasses back onto its proper pedestal, the man quietly continued with his delayed rounds around the castle, a smile on his face. "Push on Rex. Forge your own path. I'll be there every step of the way."


	17. Diatomic Diatribe

Thank you Niromi for the review. Kleiss becomes accepted by everyone...more or less. Besides the well-being of the group, they now face a great threat, literally and figuratively over the horizon. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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As the bright sun's rays broke through the ashen mists of Abysus the next day, Rex was absolutely exuberant at how well yesterday's training had gone as he made his way through the castle. After walking halfway to the building the day before, Rex came up with a devious plan to surprise everyone that he'd regained his powers. This little stunt of his included the activation of his jets, a quick whiz over to Holiday's open window, and scaring the living daylights out of the poor scientist.

Once Holiday had calmed down, which meant stop hitting Rex, she along with Bobo, congratulated the teen for his return to normalcy. They spent the rest of that day by helping Rex with his rehabilitation; the teen had lost his touch with the absence of his powers. As such, he practiced sparring with Bobo and an armored Holiday to hone his skills. That night, the group had finished off the rest of their stored food; Kleiss had promised them some fresh produce for the next day.

Once Rex finished his mental reiteration of yesterday, he made his way down the cobble footpath that twisted through a miniature indoor garden. As Rex continued his stroll toward the southern end of the castle to meet up for breakfast, a colorful flower caught his eye. Backtracking toward the plant, he noticed just how stunning the ceil and gamboge tinted blossoms were.

Thinking the doctor would surely be flustered by another romantic gesture, Rex made a beeline for a bushel. That was until the olive green shrub grew eyeballs and started chasing after the bewildered teen with its tangle of vines, leaves, and teeth. Thus, Rex scrambled away from the angered plant, in hopes of escaping a less-than-adequate future of becoming fertilizer.

The pursuit lasted for a good three minutes before Rex realized an important fact he'd overlooked, Rex remembered that he had his powers now. Turning on a dime, Rex readied his chainsaw to make mulch out of the renegade hedge. The galloping flora came to a halt and rushed back to the safety of its pot for fear of the maniacal look in Rex's eye. The chainsaw wielding teen began to race after the fleeing bush, but failed to notice the foreboding sense of doom that itched at the back of the kid's head.

"And what per se, Rex, are you doing to my petunias?" Growled a low baritone behind the startled Rex; the teen came face to face with Kleiss who simply loomed over him with his own little psychopathic gleam in his eyes. Taking a few tentative steps back, Rex transformed his arm back to normal and proceeded to rub the back of his neck while making a horrible attempt at laughing the whole thing off.

"We-well, you see Kleiss, that bush tried to eat me, so I-"

"Oh Rex, I'm just pulling your leg; this garden is tailor-made to support EVO plant life. The poor thing was probably defending its territory. Don't worry. No harm, no foul; now let's get to the others," chuckled Kleiss, inwardly amused that he still 'had it'…whatever 'it' was.

The EVO man guided Rex through a nearby passageway, away from the voracious vegetation. Though Rex had let down his guard multiple times for a surprise attack, Kleiss had yet to harm him in any way. After thinking things through, he asked, "Kleiss, why are you helping us? Helping me?"

"I would be a fool not to, my dear boy. My subordinates betrayed me to work for White, which has significantly weakened my own forces. I would have died, if not for your group's intervention. We share a common enemy and through special circumstances, I suppose I would go as far as to label you as an acquaintance. We are not friends though," said Kleiss his strides becoming longer and faster with each sentence.

"What did you see in me when you first heard of me?" Rex asked, having trouble keeping up with the hasty man. Kleiss stopped when the teen finished his question, where said teen nearly banged into Kleiss' back in the process. After a few moments of thought, Kleiss began to walk again.

"To be honest, I never thought much of you when we…when I was informed of you," Kleiss calmly answered, his pace continuing to quicken.

"But look at you now! You sure have grown…compared to when we first met," remarked Kleiss, a sincere smile gracing his worn face. The conversation may have ended, but Rex kept thinking of more and more questions that he could have asked the man without the others around. He would have voiced some of these uncertainties if Kleiss didn't beat him to it.

"So, Rex, do you think you have what it takes to beat White?" The EVO man asked. Rex was about to give a resounding 'Heck yes,' but caught himself to truly think this through. On one hand, Rex had his powers back and Kleiss was on their side which would definitely bolster their team's strength. On the other hand, White was unpredictable and had all of Providence and the newly acquired Pack. Overall, the battle was going to be difficult, so Rex inwardly promised himself to work to get stronger. It was just that simple for the teen.

"Yeah, despite what White has up his sleeves, I have faith in everyone here. We'll beat White, Providence, and the Pack for sure…"

"Glad to hear Rex. Now, shall we join the others for breakfast?" Kleiss pushed forward through the castle halls until they were met with a pair of wooden doors. Turning the handle and swinging the wooden frame to allow them passage, bright sunlight from the glass windows in the next room drenched their forms, wiping away any lingering shadows in the corridor.

The two walked in relative silence as they rounded a few corners and entered the dining hall. It seemed that Bobo had been stuffing his face with the buffet of fruits and vegetables for some time now. Six, Holiday, and Noah on the other hand, seemed to have the courtesy to wait patiently for the teen and his escort.

"My, my, my…Bobo sir, aren't we the one to set double standards?" Kleiss exclaimed, showing off some teeth as he grinned.

Ten minutes ago, while Rex was off distracted by the plant preventing him from joining the others for breakfast, Kleiss took the liberty to search for the lost child. As the man began to stride off to look for Rex, the simian shouted at the retreating form, questioning whether the 'grub was edible or not.'

It seemed that Bobo had little temperance when it came to 'letting food waste,' so he dove right in while Kleiss and Rex were away. The monkey didn't pay any heed to either of the annoyed adults, and teenage blond, at the oak table. From what the others depicted what happened while the two were away, it seemed that Bobo lunged straight for the food right after Kleiss closed the door behind him. The simian was pigging out for a good ten minutes…and had no signs of slowing down neither.

So with everyone finally present at the table, each person began to select which fruits and vegetables their selective palates would allow. There were probably more species of plant here at the table then all the forests of a small country and then some. As everyone was preoccupied with their meals, Kleiss used his powers to generate some fruit bearing trees. Using the fruits, he caused the skins to squeeze onto its self and efficiently strain some juice as drinks, even the EVO man himself partook in some liquid refreshment.

After everyone finished their breakfast, Bobo continued to bicker at how bland and boring the meal was. "What's with all the fruits and veggies? Is this supposed to be a vegan meal? This joint could use some better service…"

This irate tirade continued unhindered, until Noah spoke up, "Bobo, stop it. This isn't the time to be picking apart all the things you think could have been better."

"Try to be more considerate of Van Kleiss, you of all people should know better," berated Noah, poking the simian in the chest with each syllable to emphasize his point. Grumbling about how Noah should trim his nails due to the sore spot which adorned his sternum, the two went to sit back down.

Muttering under his breath, Bobo whispered, "Kleiss should've had the decency to have some meat or something."

A moment later, everyone heard the cracking of glass and turned to a motionless Kleiss. He had his head hung over, his shoulders shaking slightly, and a defining crack forming along his wine glass from his intense grip. The brittle cup couldn't withstand the crushing grasp and succumbed to the force, shattering into tiny shards and expelling the burgundy drink in a spray of red droplets. With everyone's focus on the terrifying man, no one dared to match the deafening silence that consumed the room. Finally, the stillness was broken when Kleiss muttered, "So you want meat or something?"

In a flash, thread-like vines shot from beneath the simian's seat and engulfed him within an inescapable cocoon of rapidly tightening tendrils. Bobo didn't have any time to react as the entrapment ascended towards the ceiling of the high-vaulted room to where an up-side-down Kleiss greeted him. Peering back down to where the man had been sitting moments prior to the attack, the seat was empty. The Kleiss located at the ceiling wasn't really defying gravity since half of his body protruded from the stone ceiling where his roots cemented him in place.

"I don't intend to harm your monkey friend! I'm simply giving him a…motivational speech," shouted Kleiss, directing his voice to Rex and Six specifically. Turning back toward Bobo, the EVO man took in a breath to start his 'speech.'

"I don't know if this is now you normally act around your hosts at Providence, but I will NOT tolerate any more of this. I may have accepted you as an ally, but that doesn't mean that we're anything _close_ to friends. Learn this well, in Abysus I'm at my strongest. Don't think for a second that I am incapable of defending myself when the situation arises. Do NOT get on my bad side," Kleiss warned, his russet eyes glaring down the entangled Bobo who could only meet his gaze since the weeds kept his jaw from moving.

Realizing that the monkey wanted to voice his opinion, Kleiss begrudgingly loosened the vines that restricted Bobo's jaw. The simian noticed that his fez's tassel was in his face and blew it out of the way so it would stop tickling his nose. Bobo finally spoke to Kleiss in a more constrained tone, "What kind of a pep talk is that? Don't think that I don't trust you either pal, make one wrong move and I'll have sights on your head faster than you can blink."

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a challenge then, would…" Kleiss stopped in the middle of his harangue, his mouth agape. Narrowing his eyes at the premature end of his company's speech, Bobo was about to rebuke the man at his stupidity. Although, the hand that was brought up to the simian's face quickly stopped Bobo from voicing his disparage.

Kleiss then removed himself from the stone ceiling and gracefully fell to the ground, a tree trunk meeting his descent to catch him. Gazing back at the tangled mess twenty six meters up, he gave a small frown and wordlessly commanded the vines to release the trapped monkey. Bobo jumped from the vines and used the stems of the vines to reach the bottom similar to a fireman down a fire-pole. Shocked at the recent events, Rex shouted at Kleiss, demanding an explanation.

After waving away the vegetation, Kleiss spoke, "At least two hundred…no, two hundred fifty enemy units have entered Abysus. It cannot be confirmed whether it is White's doing or something else entirely, but at the speed of the enemy units, they will reach the castle in…ten minutes at best. Everyone, prepare for a confrontation!"

Rex's eyes widened at what Kleiss just said and unconsciously clenched his fists thinking, 'Already? Damn it White, you just don't rest, do you?'

The anxious teen's response was similar to everyone else's; Holiday gasped bringing her hands to her horrified face, Bobo and Noah grimaced slightly and quickly steadied themselves. Six, however, seemed to be the only one to remain completely stoic throughout the whole affair. Kleiss wasted no time dawdling, once he finished his once-over for everyone, he quickly amalgamated with the ground and disappeared into the earth. A split second later, the others jumped from their seats and made their way to each of their respective rooms, to ready themselves.

Six was the last one to leave the table. Standing up slowly and with purpose, he walked out of the abandoned dinning hall to make his way back to the main entrance, already prepared. Turning around one last time, he glanced at the holes in the ground and ceiling that Kleiss' and Bobo's scuffle caused. Continuing on his journey, he released the death grips he had on his katanas, knowing full well that should Kleiss give any hint of treachery, he'd slice the bastard's head off before Bobo would even get a chance at shooting it.


	18. Murderous Magazines

Thank you VitaliaSteele, bree tennyson, Shadow-L-Chan, and xXEpic-Fail-SuicideXx for the reviews! Alright, this chapter has above-average violence. You have been warned, my pretties! Oh, and if you're wondering about the title for this chapter, read on, I used the word in the story in the proper context...If you're too lazy...look it up! _ Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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A symphony of soles against stone echoed through the still castle. No metaphorical birds were singing on this antebellum morning; only the sounds of the hurried gasps and frantic footsteps of the Abysusian castle's guests could be heard. Unlike Rex, the efficient Holiday, Bobo, and Noah had familiarized themselves with the basic construct of the building during their stay. Never losing their way once, the group of three was greeted by a metamorphic Kleiss spurting from the ground a few meters ahead of them. He motioned the doctor and the blond to follow him down a path that deviated from their original course. Hesitating for a moment, the selected two allowed Kleiss to lead them down a flight of stairs to the right.

Watching their fading backs slowly engulfed by the dark passageway, Bobo made way to his own room, concentrating on the stones and mortar that held together the floors ahead of him. He would need to have his blasters in optimum condition to make it through a few hundred enemies; having the guns jam in the middle of a heated battle would be his downfall.

Rushing onward, Bobo leaped in front of his room's door and nearly tore the poor thing off its hinges as he swung it open. He didn't know what came over him, 'Why did I even take them off my person? I should know by now that I need my blasters with me at all times…this is wasting valuable time.'

Basically ransacking his own room, the simian made quick work of the nearby drawers as he finally came into possession of his trusty firearms. Double checking the sights and the barrel, Bobo loaded them and set them into their respective holsters.

Forgoing the door, the uneasy simian took use of the open window and made a dash towards it. While balancing on the window sill, Bobo grabbed onto the ledge above his head and made a double back-flip and caught the railing with his feet. Heaving himself up, he latched onto the steel gutters lined along the roof's edge and finally pulled himself over. Not in the mood to congratulate himself for his acrobatic prowess, he made a beeline for the western wing where everyone was to meet up.

With the winds picking up, Bobo instinctually grabbed his fez for fear of it flying away, his legs continued to push across the baking clay tiles that adorned the trusses of the roof. Despite the hot overlays, the monkey forced himself to catch up, annoyed at his squandered time. Bobo gave sparing glances at the Abysusian forests, expecting flying cruisers or monstrous beasts to be rampaging through the trees. Yet, there was nothing.

This didn't deter the seasoned Bobo one bit, he knew better than to callously assume there wasn't a snake hidden in the figurative grass. The simian had seen that _look_ before, the _look_ in Kleiss' eyes. The EVO man wasn't lying through his teeth this time around, there was definitely trouble approaching. It finally dawned on Bobo and everyone else for that matter that they were going to be fighting side by side for once.

Sidestepping a brick chimney, he finally made it to the edge of the roof and climbed his way down to meet a silent Six and an agitated Rex. A few moments later Kleiss walked out to the others where an armored Holiday and Noah followed suit. Since they were the only ones who didn't have significant powers, they were also given state-of-the-art firearms that rivaled Bobo's blasters. In any case, the two 'civilians' were armed to the teeth thanks to Kleiss' underground cache.

It was unlike anything Six had seen before; the attack on Providence base was definitely phenomenal, but the sheer size of the previous invasion paled in comparison to what lay before the defenders. Slipping behind the shadows of the Abysusian foliage, a myriad of eyes and limbs made contact with the shining rays of the mid-morning sun. The group was surrounded by wild animal and plant EVOs; "Well, at least we know _how much_ the rogue EVO count has risen by…"

"Not the best time for theatrics, Rex. Everyone! Split up into two-manned squads. In this situation, its best that we limit the amount of force the enemy can dish out. Do NOT fight one-on-one in any situation," spoke Kleiss, his eyes narrowing in calculation.

Through some unspoken word, the group sped off in different directions to fight off the approaching onslaught. Six and Rex made a dash to the left, Noah and Holiday leaped over a few stray boulders and headed north. Bobo and Kleiss trailed behind the civilians before making a harsh turn to the left, heading right into the underbrush. With the teams decided, the curtain of shadows that hid the EVOs was torn to shreds as the battle commenced.

With aims comparable to the trained simian, Holiday and Noah began their assault, targeting the yellow orbs that rocketed through the dense jungle. Moments later, hellish yelps and snarls were gracing the ears of the two sharpshooters as they progressed deeper into the forest. There, however, wasn't any point in running; the doctor and blond simply walked down their designated path…the EVOs were the ones rushing at them.

After at least twelve magazines worth of high-caliber bullets, Noah finally asked Holiday, "Would you do the honors?"

"Hmm, how angry do you think Kleiss is going to get?"

"Quite. Why don't you aim towards the group over there," said Noah, pointing at a group of howler-monkey EVOs that were closing in on them.

In a flash, the section of forest Noah was pointing at had been swallowed by a flurry of flames, the smell of burning fur and flesh permeating across the woods. The bright blaze quickly spread from the trees the EVOs were trapped within to the dry brush down on the ground. It was fortunate for the two to be standing far away from the carnage. Both Noah and Holiday brought a hand to their noses and eyes, "I didn't anticipate such an explosive blast from such a small Molotov-substitute…Kleiss sure knows how to manufacture a flame grenade if I ever saw one."

"Indeed," responded the doctor, waving her hands in an attempt at clearing the rising smoke.

The two had, unfortunately, lowered their guards and didn't notice the growing rumbling of the ground. It was Noah who, just in the nick of time, shoved the doctor out of the way of a charging rhino EVO. The beast was covered in what appeared to be snake scales and had an extra pair of legs; the animal was basically a living, breathing, tank…and Noah took the full brunt of the attack.

The rhinoceros ended up slamming the armored Noah into a nearby tree that hadn't caught fire yet. Smashing the plant into two vertical slabs of bark, the EVO didn't have enough time to further the damage and was quickly silenced by a hectic Holiday. She used the remainder of her shells to scramble the EVO's brain through its eye sockets. It was quite bloody…and noisy, but the worried doctor skipped the gore and leaned over the limp blond. She only released a heavy sigh after Noah began gasping for air, amazingly unharmed.

"No-Noah! Where are you hurt?" Questioned the guilt-ridden doctor, completely ashamed that she led herself into such a terrible predicament.

"Don't worry, Holiday. The armor seemed to have taken most of the force, there isn't anything that's broken," said Noah, gazing at the huge crack that splintered off into a spider web of fractures which littered the front of his chest-plate. Releasing a second sigh of relief, Holiday grabbed the outstretched gloved hand of the other and the two quickly prepared their weapons for what was sure to be rounds two, three, four…

The explosion caused by the flame grenade had caught the attention of a certain mastermind who seemed to be preoccupied with a murder of crows hovering over a small field. Or rather, a single EVO crow that had the ability to self-replicate. It wasn't the sort of situation where you kill the original and the rest would fall, oh no. It seemed that the only way to stop the black flock was to eliminate every single crow…before any of them took the effort to duplicate again.

"There's just no end to these things…and to top it _all_ off, I'm working with _you_," exclaimed Bobo, twisting through the feathery whirlwind, being nicked by the EVO avians' sharp talons and beaks every so often. The duo hadn't been on the best of terms ever since stumbling onto the cloud of onyx wings; Bobo was firing like a madman while Kleiss took advantage of his vines and proceeded with making bird shish kabobs. Even though the two were making rather large piles of lifeless crows at their feet, the birds continued to replicate…over and over and over.

"Wait! I've got it. Bobo distract the birds for a while, I'll take care of the whole flock," shouted Kleiss, raising his already hoarse voice over the opus of deathly 'caws.'

"Wh-what? Why should I listen to-"

"Just do it! Or would you rather have the crows peck your corpse clean?" Shouted Kleiss, dodging several of the black demons in the process.

"Tch…fine!" hollered Bobo, tired of arguing and hopeful to end this meddlesome foe. Rearming his blasters in the blink of an eye, the simian upped his fire rate from once every second to a dozen per. With the birds falling left and right, the whole flock began to converge on the rampaging monkey.

Using the momentary peace, Kleiss gathered energy from the nearby nanites within the soil and plant-life around him before slamming his hands into the earth. Moments later, the ground began to crack as lithe roots protruded from the ground out from within a forty meter radius circle. As the vegetative tendrils began to develop into large bulbs, Kleiss shouted at the top of his lungs, "Bobo! Don't inhale the air; your life depends on it!"

Glancing back at the enlarging sacks near Kleiss, Bobo's eyes instantly widened as he took a huge gulp of air before returning his attention to evading the flood of beaks and claws. After confirming the monkey's compliance, Kleiss used his powers to accelerate the plants' growth until they reached the size of cattle and the basidiomycetes finally exploded. Millions of white spores blanketed the miniature arena, cloaking the ground and slipping into the alveoli of the ill-prepared crows. Double-checking that _every_ bird was infected with his mushroom spores, Kleiss activated the tiny seeds and the crows went silent. One by one, each EVO crow spasmed and fell to the ground as its airways were simultaneously sucked dry of any water and were punctured by the maturing fungi.

Utterly shocked by the results of Kleiss' secret attack, he was finally given the green light to take a breather, literally. Realizing that he was at fault for the breakfast fiasco, Bobo attempted to reconcile his association to the Abysusian ruler, "Hey, um…sorry for all that before. I was under a lot of stress and didn't really trust ya to begin with. I want to apologize for what I said. You're not all _that_ bad."

With a few low chuckles, Kleiss met the gaze of a repentant simian and simply replied, "You're not _too bad_ yourself."

The two made amends and began their perusal through the gruesomely colored meadow of black, white, and red and into the rest of the forest. The fight had yet to be resolved.

Off on the other side of the woodlands, a pair of defenders was slicing through a crowd of overgrown snake and wolf EVOs. The thirty foot serpents had the uncanny ability to blend into their surroundings akin to a chameleon while the giant wolves had what appeared to be enhanced muscle strength, being able to leap several stories into the air and slash through boulders. Overall, there was a lot of screaming and grunting coming from the teen while the ex-agent was silent in the matter.

After what seemed like the hundredth snake, which probably wasn't an exaggeration, Rex brought down his blade onto another hissing cobra, poised to strike at the boy's torso. Using his jets, Rex propelled himself above the rocky hillside to where the ex-agent was currently dicing through a pack of disgruntled lupines. The ravenous wolves were making excellent use of the woodland/mountainous surroundings, rebounding to and fro against branches and boulders and the like. The seemingly endless supply of wolves was beginning to tire the legendary assassin. When Rex immaturely jumped into one of his battles again, the man in the shades was frankly relieved. That was, until he heard a hissing coming from behind the occupied hero.

Quickly inspecting the rope-like shadow and gauging the sun's position in the sky, Six took aim at the calculated position of the hidden viper. Bringing down his katanas on the slithering reptile, execution style, the snake gave a final sputtering hiss before constricting against itself and bleeding out.

Finishing off another wolf, Rex turned around to the sight of a dead serpent and his apparent hero. Smiling, the teen thanked the ex-agent, "Whoa! Thanks for watchin' my back, Six!"

Speeding toward the man, Rex deactivated his jets and landed next to the assassin and slapped his back, in a completely 'unprofessional manner.' It seemed that fighting hordes of wild EVOs brought out the kid in the…kid; regardless, Six was definitely not expecting this kind of behavior from Rex and began to tint a light scarlet.

"Don't expect me to baby you forever, Rex. Keep aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine," muttered Six, turning around so the teen wouldn't notice the blush.

"In any case, I don't sense any more EVOs, let's head back towards the castle…Why would the wild EVOs converge here of all places?" Spoke the highly trained Six, slowly bringing down his conversation to a hushed whisper. He meant to think out his question, but ended up speaking his mind…he definitely needed to get a handle on his emotions.

"He-hey! Six! Wait up!"


	19. Veritable Vice

Thank you VitaliaSteele, Hatter Madigan, and xXEpic-Fail-SuicideXx for the reviews. We finally come to the chapter concerning Agent Eight...did you expect this kind of outcome? Anyway, beware, there is major angst and a MINOR CHARACTER DEATH! You heard right, someone is going to die! Although, I'm pretty sure you guys won't miss this character too much, if not, then I apologize for making you feel unwell. At any rate, please enjoy. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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The blaze caused by Holiday's flame grenade lasted for an uneventful half an hour before Kleiss managed to snuff out the flames, visibly displeased. However, the good doctor and blond seemed to have the gall to simply leave the inferno unattended, not a hint of their presence within the area. Kleiss and Bobo were capable of dodging a flurry of razor sharp beaks, that was a given; yet something as simple as smoldering ash seemed to be too much of a foe to handle; the two soon succumbed to the dust particles and were sporting their own coughing fits. Fanning the smoke from his face and tearing eyes, Bobo spoke up, "Maybe the two went back to the castle. It looks like everything was cleaned up here, and good."

With a slight frown, Kleiss nodded before departing the scorched section of the forest, shoes crunching on top of the blackened roots and smashing them into tiny specks. The monkey and mastermind duo eventually crossed paths with a worn-out pair of blade wielding warriors. It appeared that even the unrelenting glare Six would normally give Kleiss was absent in favor of an 'I-don't-give-a-fuck-at-the-moment' glance. Rex, in particular, looked rather disheveled. Although, the defenders were still able to talk and finally agreed to head back to the castle to regroup and plan a search party for the last remaining pair.

Despite their exhaustion, the four were able make decent time and reached the fortress in a few minutes. The quietness between them was quickly broken by the sharp cry of an unknown EVO and the ever steady blaring of a sub-machine gun. Shaken from their stupor, the group dashed through the remains of the jungle and were met by a Noah drenched in the now dead EVO's blood, his gun's nozzle still smoking from the recent firing. Kleiss shouted across to the blond, "Noah! Are you alright lad? And where's Holiday? I told you guys to stay together at ALL times!"

Gasping for some air, Noah raised his shaking arm and pointed to the castle, evidently incapable of speaking at the moment. The others made quick glances to each other before they headed off for the fortress, Noah closing the gap in the rear. As they rounded the corner of the outer wall, Kleiss paused momentarily to place his palm against the rock battlements. With only a second passing, the group was running again, closely behind the disgruntled man. Shouting behind the others, Kleiss said ominously, "She's beneath us…about one hundred fifty feet down. Quickly now, follow my lead."

Everyone desperately tried to keep up with the swift man in front of them, but they were only able to seize quick glimpses of the flickering ends of Kleiss' dark cape as they made sharp turns round stone corridors. The air was tense and full of a foreboding haze that clung to the heavy atmosphere. The whole lot was unsure of what was happening, but Rex was especially fearful of what had become of the doctor.

"Noah, why is she in here?" Shouted Rex, too preoccupied to turn around to face the blond in the back.

"She convinced me that we should head back to the castle; she was worried that some EVOs could have broken into it. We got separated when some straggling EVOs ambushed us," said Noah, still slightly tired from his last encounter.

'What if we're too late? Damn it Holiday! You'd better be safe…I don't know how badly its gonna get, but I won't let anyone hurt you! Just hold on,' thought Rex. He pushed himself to run faster, not caring about the numbing pain developing in his legs in the slightest. The faction continued to push deeper into the castle, forging a desperate path to the missing doctor.

Kleiss finally stopped in front of a pair of sturdy ivory doors that none of the group members had come across during their untimely stay at the castle. Wasting no time, the man ushered the others down the cracked stone slabs and quickly met another pair of equally luxurious door frames. Grasping the knob with fervency, Kleiss swung the obstructive piece of wood to reveal a terrible, gut-wrenching sight.

Rex would have given the unharmed doctor a bone-crushing hug and playfully rebuke her for the scare Holiday gave everyone. This wasn't what happened; the sight before everyone invoked emotions on the opposite end of the spectrum. In fact, it was something Rex thought he'd never experience ever again…the all-encompassing feeling of betrayal. The teen didn't know what to say; none of them did. All the terrible scenarios that had played through Rex's mind a few minutes prior made the sting of perfidy all the more painful.

Before the group, across the dimly-lit room, was a frightened, haggard Holiday who quickly passed some sort of machine to a turncoat Breach on the other side of a baleful vortex. The two exchanged a quick word; concerning what exactly, the group had no idea. However, when Kleiss had opened the door, the room's sensors automatically turned the lights up to a higher setting, alerting the two women of their presence. Spinning on the spot, panic gripped the doctor's face, her cover blown. Behind her, Breach released a cold snickering that echoed across the room, all the way to the motionless group. Each and every one of them was frozen in place, absolutely shocked by the turn of events.

"Well, it looks like we'll have an audience after all!" Cackled Breach, completely ecstatic in her remark. Her joyful demeanor twisted into an ugly, disdainful sneer as she caught the attention of a hapless Holiday. She was _finally_ in the perfect position to squeeze every last drop of humiliation and hopelessness from the wary woman.

"You know, Agent Eight…" Breach began, her whimsical voice mismatching her face. Although, her cheerful voice dropped down to a dreadful tone, sadistic pleasure swirling behind her obsidian eyes.

"White Knight's _not_ _too happy_ with your performance. In fact, I think it's about time that I'd let you in on a little secret," Breach spoke, her voice falling to a comedic whisper, knowing full well that the others could hear her just fine.

"Knight was rather upset when you…took advantage of those genetic EVOs at the base. He had to dirty his own hands because they were proving too much to handle for the grunts. As such, he thought it would be fitting to…take out the _trash_," teased Breach, her tongue lingering on the last word, savoring the meaning behind it. Holiday reacted just as she predicted. The woman's eyes widened in realization and screamed at the tops of her lungs, tears streaming down her paling cheeks. She was completely distraught at what Breach just told her.

The EVO behind the portal slowly shook, eyes widening, and lips coiling up to form a hideous grin. She let out a horrendous squeal of glee as she relished in the hopeless cries of the woman who was now tearing out her black hair. At that instant, Six snapped out of the disturbing daze and sped across the room, his katanas already gleaming in the artificial light of the chamber.

Before the ex-agent came any closer, Breach shouted one last time before her vortex closed off, ensuring her escape, "White is no longer in need of your services, Holiday; fend for yourself!"

Leaving only her echoing laughter to haunt the room, Kleiss angrily stalked off toward the weeping woman and harshly grabbed her shoulders. He roared, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you RIGHT NOW!"

Before the conversation continued, Rex quickly slammed into the furious man and crouched down next to the sobbing Holiday. He looked her right in the eye and asked, "Is it true Holiday? Are…were you working for White? How long was it? Why-"

"Kill me. I deserve it…" whispered Holiday, trembling in the teen's grasp, her eyes were no longer gleaming with hope and eagerness. All that remained was hollowness, a dull, lifeless glow that slowly faded away entirely.

She had given up.

An hour passed since the woman's betrayal had been made known. Holiday had been detained within one of the cells in the fortress' dungeon; the group had given her a more comfortable stay with the inclusion of proper bedding and a light, but despite the hospitalities, she had been bound…for obvious reasons. She wouldn't stop screaming for them to kill her, "I don't deserve to live…I'm a MONSTER!"

Outside, where the horrific pleas were muffled by an oak door, a different set of voices were screaming. It was rather difficult to keep track of the argument, but it seemed that Rex still believed that there was hope for Holiday, "What do you mean we have no choice?"

"What I'm saying, Rex, is that _she_ is a direct threat to our survival. I'm sorry for being so blunt, but she should just be eliminated. Plus, she _wants_ this-"

"You know WHAT Kleiss? That sounds _a lot_ like what White would say. Don't try to take advantage of her mental state either," interjected Bobo, profusely angered at Holiday's actions, but even more so at Kleiss. The doctor and he had known each other for quite some time. He knew that deep down, she didn't want _that_.

"Bobo's right, Kleiss. You can't just decide if someone's life is…well…this is Holiday for crying out loud! We can't do this!" Shouted Rex, utterly confused what should be done.

"Besides, the only true tie to Providence, her sister, was compromised. It's clear that Holiday's…sibling was a hostage; since the hostage was 'thrown away,' White would no longer have any leverage over her. She isn't pressured to follow White's orders anymore," stated Six, arms folded, and his scowl deepening as he finished his insertion.

"Though, since White removed the hostage willingly, this implies that he had no further use for Holiday…that whatever she gave Breach back there was the 'missing piece' in his equation. Why else wouldn't he attack us yet? White simply treated Holiday like a useless pawn; now that she's out of his way, he can prepare his forces. This is just the kind of method he'd use," solemnly spoke Noah, giving a weak sigh afterwards. He lowered his head in outward discomfort for what the woman must have been going through.

As minutes slowly turned into nearly half an hour, the group finally came to a unanimous decision to coax some form of 'cognitive' response from the wailing doctor. Rex was chosen to speak with her since he posed the least amount of threat towards the hysterical Holiday. He didn't mind either, wholly obstinate in bringing the 'old Holiday' back. There was no way, he'd let her go. Besides, she didn't give up on him when he was dying…'But what if it was all an act?'

Shaking his head, he kept to his promise; regardless of his inner thoughts. He'd help Holiday. There was no way that she was evil like White; he'd make sure everything was going to be alright. Steadying himself for what were surely shrieks of a suicidal nature to burst his eardrums the moment he opened the door, Rex grasped the lever and yanked the piece of wood completely agape.

Nothing…no screams or echoes emerged from the dungeon. Rex's eyes snapped open, disturbed by the silence. He was about to bolt down the stone passageway when a hand took hold of his shoulder. Rex turned around to face a troubled blond.

"Rex, please help her. It's my fault tha-"

"It's no one's fault except White. Don't worry Noah, we'll all get through this," adamantly spoke Rex, flashing the group with a confident smile, and quickly broke from Noah's contact to dash towards Holiday's cell.

His loud footsteps broke the depressing silence of the dank chamber, rushing towards the only lit cell; Rex was met with a quivering handcuffed doctor, her ragged coat facing the teen behind the iron bars. Before he could alert Holiday of his presence, he was caught off guard by her hoarse whisper, "I'm disgusting…"

Her angelic, clear voice had gone raw from her constant weeping. She sounded terrible, but Rex couldn't bring himself to respond to her self-degrading comment. All he could do was listen to her mutterings until she finished.

"She's really gone. My sister…she's gone. I knew that it would happen eventually…but…by _his_ hands? And so soon too…" Rex felt his heart sink at what he was hearing.

"I knew that deep down, there was no way out. She was going to die, but…I just didn't want to believe it. I had always hoped that she could have escaped from Providence, from White…" Holiday lightly chuckled at this, she was far from happy though; she was simply debunking herself of her far-fetched fantasy.

"Now look at me. I'm here, locked away in a cell…why didn't I realize it was hopeless? I had to choose between the friends I had, who were free and had a chance at living, and my only flesh and blood sister, who was probably doomed to die…" At this she gave one final scream as she convulsed under the grief that weighed heavily on her. She was internally torn between pitying herself for being ensnared in such a gruesome situation or being repulsed at how she treated those around her so badly.

"Ho-Holiday, it's not over yet. We still have you with us, there's still hope. Please don't give up, if not for us, then for your sister's sake. We're all here, waiting for you…please Holiday," pleaded Rex, heart-broken by Holiday's dilemma.

The room went silent, save for the sputtering gasps of the doctor. After a few lonely minutes passed, Holiday finally lifted her head from her earlier position, her eyes bloodshot from her sobbing. Once she steadied her breathing, her shoulders relaxed a bit, she took in a wholesome breath of air, and exhaled accordingly.

"Rex…I'm so sorry."


	20. Contaminated Cheshire

Thank you VitaliaSteele, Hatter Madigan, and xXEpic-Fail-SuicideXx for the reviews! Alright, I apologize for the ugly two week gap in updating, things came up and my beta is currently indisposed of at the moment. Which means that I am more than happy for you guys to correct any mistakes you see! ^^ Anyway, my beta will be back on track in a week or so, and until then, any more updates will also be unbetaed. Once again, I apologize for the wait, enjoy.

Before I forget anything in _italics_ is the flashback, yes there are flashbacks in this chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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The cold cobble floors were switched to a warm Sinopia hued hardwood. The thin sheets that were used to keep the chilling air of the prison cell at bay were instead thick lilac duvet covers, insulating her in comfortable heat. There were no longer constraining steel bars blockading her within; the meticulous glass windows of the place were wide-open, a sweet breeze circulating throughout the bedroom. _Her_ bedroom.

Tightening her grip on the comforter, Holiday gave a heavy sigh, realization dawning upon her. Her wrists were still red and sore from being handcuffed, her eyes stung from crying in her sleep, and on a closer inspection, she still had the bruises she gave herself back then. She wasn't dreaming, everything that had happened yesterday…

"Rex."

He brought her back…back from the darkness of her malignant guilt that was slowly consuming her. He saved her from the very hands that were still clutching the sheets in front of her. She needed to repay him. 'Rex probably got the others to return me to my bedroom. Although, it'd be a surprise if Kleiss didn't put a camera in here or something…oh well, better not leave the others waiting.'

After a quick stretch and habitual washing of her face, she made her way to the oak doors that lay across from the window to the left. Not giving the inviting pane a single glance of weakness, Holiday strode over to the doors and proceeded to open them. To her mild surprise, however, what awaited her was not the usual perpendicular hallway that would have led to the east wing of the castle. Instead, it appeared that Kleiss had used his powers to rearrange this section of the building so only a short twenty meter long corridor lie ahead of her. There weren't any other viable exits through the bizarre passageway except the pair of Chamoisee doors that were set at the end of the hall.

Holiday had half an idea of what was on the other side and continued her short walk to the other end. Her shoes clacked against the floor as she neared the doors, the sounds reverberating through the enclosed space, mimicking a ghostly applause of sorts. In her resolve to 'cut to the chase,' she turned the brass handles and opened the doors.

A blanket of blinding light soon gave way to the feasting hall with all of her associates waiting at the dining table. The five were seated with the last chair left open for her. Kleiss was placed at the opposite end, his face unreadable as the mysterious Six, who was to his immediate right. Rex and Bobo sat to the left and right of her own chair, respectively. Noah was centered between the simian and Kleiss to the far right.

Finished with her overview of who was sitting where, she began to walk over to her seat and opened her mouth to address those seated. Rex, however, hastily interrupted the doctor with a resounding 'Wait!' The teen had his hands clasped together as he rested his forehead against his entwined digits, his face contorted in anger and sadness. He shouted to her saying, "I don't remember a single thing about my parents…I can't picture what they looked like, what we did together, or even if my childhood was a good one. But I can tell you one thing, Holiday…I know what it's like to lose a family member. I nearly lost you!"

"Please don't ever do that again!" Cried Rex, as he rushed over to the stunned woman while quickly administering a decent bone-crushing hug. Caught off guard by the unexpected embrace, Holiday relaxed into the relieved teen's arms, returning the act of loving affection. A small smile found its way onto her face as she remembered how much the child cared for her.

None of the others interrupted Rex's and Holiday's moment as she reassured him that she wasn't ever going to leave them, "Don't worry Rex. You helped me open my eyes, I can see clearly now. I'm not lost anymore."

After a few more seconds past, the two broke apart and returned to their designated seats. Their shoes' tapping echoed through the quiet room as Rex and Holiday meandered back to their chairs. Rex took his seat a moment before the doctor grabbed a hold of her chair's crest rail. Holiday's movements were rather fluid as she flattened out the back of her skirt, sat down, and pulled in the chair closer to the table in front. She blew out slowly, obviously gathering herself in preparation for what she was about to say next. Opening her closed eyes, she began her speech.

"I know that several, if not all of you, do not fully trust me enough to leave me unrestrained. My actions beforehand were utterly inexcusable and though I was in a desperate state, my actions were _my_ actions, regardless. I cannot change the past, nor predict the future. I do, however, wish to say that I am indebted to you all. I offer my services to you against White's scheme," spoke Holiday, careful with every word, not a hint of hesitation in her speech.

"Hold on, Holiday. Are you implying that you know of what White is planning? Tell us everything," interjected Six, uneasy at what else that man had up his sleeves. Bobo and the others visibly stiffened at the mention of _his_ name, Holiday could only guess what they'd do when she told everyone exactly what he was plotting.

Giving a brief nod of consent, she continued, "First and foremost, you should be aware that the information concerning 'that' machine wasn't entirely accurate. Your nanites do not 'annihilate' other active nanites, Rex, they absorb them. This is what White is after apparently, your nanites' ability to gather foreign nanites."

"Also, I was ahead of schedule during my stay here. I'm sure you're quite familiar with the incident with Breach…I was supposed to contact her two days from today, but through my dedication to help my sister, I completed the assignment early," spoke Holiday, her explanation garnering the full attention of the lot.

"I was supposed to finish analyzing the composition of Rex's nanites; White and I noticed that his nanites were…different from all the other samples. I don't know why they're able to function the way they do; they're exact replicas of any other nanite…but they're still unique. Anyway, I finished compiling my data on them and coded their structure as well as another live sample that I retrieved from _then_ onto the machine you guys saw me hand over to Breach. Though I wasn't informed of what he planned to do with them, I suspect that they'll be used in conjunction with all of the previous experiments White had me perform. He's going to do_ something_ with the data…and the genetic EVO research is somehow related," mused Holiday, worry strewed across her face.

Holiday beamed with hope saying, "Knowing this, I think that we…never mind, I think it's best if I stay out of the way…"

Her conviction quickly drained from her as she came to the conclusion that none of them would ever recognize her for anything but a traitor. The intangible pain was a sharp blow that permeated throughout her crumbling form; Holiday couldn't bring herself to remain in their presence any longer. Biting her tongue to keep herself from showing any pain, she hastily brought her trembling hands up from her lap to the ledge of the table to remove herself from the chair. However, before she could manage to stand from her seat, Bobo and Noah simultaneously said, "You're wrong, Holiday."

Focusing on the blond and simian, Holiday questioned, "What are you-"

"You're wrong about being in anyone's way," responded Bobo, a worried frown accompanying the monkey's comment.

"You've never been a burden to any of us. You've only made us stronger…and we're here to help you in your time of momentary weakness. You were always there for us; now we'll be there for you. A perfect example was when we were fighting those EVOs. I wouldn't have been able to get through it all without you," replied Noah, hope shining through his cyan eyes.

'That time with the rhinoceros?' Gathered Holiday, as she thought back to what happened.

"Honestly, I would've bled to death, if it weren't for ya doc. I'll always have your back," morbidly joked Bobo, a mix of solemnity and casual humor in his voice. Although, the monkey's jesting faded into a stern promise as he gave the doctor a single nod following his remark, never breaking his gaze with Holiday.

She immediately recalled the botched escape from Providence, the ambush, the bullet wound, and her instinctual side taking over as she removed the bullet and basically saved the simian a leg. All of these instances of heroisms and compassion flooded her mind as the others gave their small anecdotes. Surprisingly, even Kleiss muttered a few words concerning research and such. If these weren't forms of apologies, then she didn't know what was.

Her lip began to tremble once more as her vision blurred with the tears of overflowing hope. Hope for her future, for her friends, and for the group's goal to defeat Providence.

It was ironic; it truly was. Her life's journey began its trek with Providence…and she knew now that her true purpose was to end it. Perhaps it was a blessing concealed in a curse when she signed that paper all those years ago. If she hadn't, then she might have never met the friends that lay before her now.

"_You made the right choice…joining my Providence," kindly spoke a strapping man from a monitor across the room, mounted on a spotless, white wall._

"_You'll need to take a new name, for confidential reasons. They're just to protect both you and the organization from any…mishaps. In any case, what name will you be using?" Chuckled the man, his shining smile casting a benevolent air around him._

"_Oh, I'll be sticking with my real name. I feel much more at ease when I can talk to my patients when I'm not hiding something as superficial as a name," smiled the black haired girl, her height a dead give-away for her approximate age. Though, she spoke with a sophisticated, courteous tone that would inform the listener that she was far beyond her years in maturity._

"_Are you sure?" Questioned the man, his hands locking together in front and his left eyebrow tilting up by the minutest of degrees._

"_Yes," answered the girl, bowing her head to a generous ninety-degree angle, possibly a respectable coaxing to acquire his support. When she looked back up, she was granted with a warm smile._

"_Alright then, I know that you've suffered much in the past year, so after this meeting, why don't you go rest. All of your belongings have been sent to your room. Now, don't you worry. With your help, we'll be able to find a cure to this infestation soon…and save your sister, Miss Holiday," spoke the man in the monitor. He gave a quick nod before reaching over to turn off the connection. He was stopped by a hand shooting up from the girl he was speaking to a few moments ago._

"_I have you to thank Mr. Knight, without your expertise in these nanites; I probably wouldn't be here…thank you so much," idolized Holiday, her smile radiating adoration as she watched, White mutter a 'Your welcome' before shutting down the machine…_

It had been so long; toiling under that madman. However, the past wouldn't change the future; what mattered now was that she'd work her hardest at dismantling the organization that was the root of her misery for the past fifteen years. There was another reason for the inhuman conviction to her seemingly asinine goals. There were, in fact, five reasons. Each and every one of her friends was threatened by White and his Providence. She wasn't going to let him lay a single bone-white finger on any of them. She may have lost her sister, but she would defend her living friends to the death.

'I won't be fooled by the likes of you White…never again.'


	21. Reluctant Resolution

Thank you RandomDraggon and xXEpic-Fail-SuicideXx for the reviews! Alright, after I got half-way through this chapter, I realized that it would be too long. So, I separated it into two chapters. This 'part one' has a chunk of innuendos like you wouldn't believe, some were intentional, and others were only noticed after I was editing it! ^^ Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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After the morning's potentially disastrous meeting, the surface tension that was coiling up amongst the inhabitants had faded to a mere murmur. The doctor had known from the start that despite the chance that she was forgiven, which had an outrageously slim percentage of actually passing in itself, she knew that her trust would have to be rebuilt from scratch. Everyone, besides the more reclusive members, had allowed her back into their hearts; it was now up to her to strengthen the weakened bonds that lay before the woman.

It had been a little over three hours since then and Holiday had been vigorously working to further the team's goal: defeat White and Providence. The first logical step, to Holiday anyways, was to formulate the possible 'anti-venom' to the nanite suppressant that White had under his possession. It would simply be a losing battle if Rex and the others were left vulnerable to the serum and had no way to stop it. However, there were…difficulties along the way. Holiday didn't even know whether the black liquid was manufacturable or not. All of her research thus far had pointed in the direction of the suppressant being biological in origin. It confounded her to no end.

'Was I wrong in my calculations somewhere? _Is_ this a feign on White's part? Is this stuff from some EVO or something?' These and dozen-and-a-half ridiculous questions later, Holiday was on the cusp of exasperation. If she wasn't handling a vial containing a particularly corrosive acid, she would've started pulling at her usually neatly-bound hair. In fact, besides the dangerous equipment, the only other reason she wasn't 'losing it' was due to the man a few feet away, completely immersed in the same conundrum.

"Come now my dear, you can't be giving up so soon. That is to say, this isn't _nearly_ the same level of intellect you displayed back then," noted Kleiss, his eyes focused on the computer monitor before him; his dark brown irises darting across the screen to the mildly irate woman across the table.

"Are you insinuating that I haven't given my all in this little project, Kleiss?" Teased Holiday, her stress dissipating as she leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms, skeptical of whatever Kleiss was speaking of.

'He always knew how to push my buttons to get the job done, regardless of _authority_,' thought Holiday.

"Of course not! I would _never_ do such a thing," remarked Kleiss, sarcasm dripping from his latest comment.

"Theatrics aside, I think we're drawing close to the answer, Holiday. I can confirm that on a microscopic level, the substance is definitely biological in majority. The liquid acts a lot like macrophages in a broad sense…except that the individual bodies seem to feed on the energy output of a nanite, NOT the nanite itself. Rather ingenious…I'm almost jealous that I hadn't thought of it first!" Laughed Kleiss; it seemed that his earlier comment on 'no theatrics' didn't apply to him.

"We already knew this! Our goal is to create a substance that would counteract this suppressant," said Holiday slightly annoyed by her partner's calmness.

"Oh Holiday, the answer is staring you right in the face. We simply need to take 'advantage' of the suppressant's ability to sap energy from nanites," hinted Kleiss, a soft chuckle ending his lecture. The doctor's eyes widened in sudden realization and raced back to her workplace, hands swiftly mixing chemicals and typing at a break neck speed.

Two minutes into her scholarly flurry, she began to slow down her pace until she stopped to quietly giggle to herself, which attracted the attention of the man across the table. A look of confusion was quickly replaced by another of understanding. He deduced that Holiday had come to realize that she was helping them. Actually _helping them_; it was more of a personal atonement of sorts, and her guilt was slowly lifting from her.

"If you want, we can take a small break, I can connect to the surveillance cameras and we can see how the others are progressing," assuaged Kleiss, hoping that it would help to diminish the stress that would surely build up if nothing was done.

As this conversation continued, several hundred meters away, two pairs of shoes had been trudging back to the castle, their owners completely worse for wear. One of them just so happened to be inwardly beating himself up over what occurred a few hours prior. The other was attempting to hide an incessant blush that was barely covered by the small bandages that stuck to the side of his cheek closest to the teen beside him. Overall, both were gloomily brooding over how the aforementioned event could have gone better.

As it turns out, once Holiday left the hall with Kleiss close behind, at a respectable non-stalker distance mind you, Bobo and Noah proceeded to leave Six and Rex alone together in favor of some kind of 'training.' Regardless, Rex wasn't going to let this occurrence go to waste and as soon as Six stood from his chair, Rex blurted out, "Let's train too, Six!"

'What. The. Fuck. Did that really just come out of my mouth?' Thought Rex, his orifice apparently acting on its own. He would have to deal with that problem later, since he was faced with a stoic Six staring at him, his eyebrows rising in disbelief.

"Uh…Yeah, let's get going. I mean, since when was the last time we got to test our skills against one another? It would be best for all of us, don't you think?" Spoke Rex, after which he flashed his trademark toothy grin and hoped for the best.

Inwardly, Rex was sweating buckets. He was rather confident that instead of taking him up on the offer, the ex-agent would simply brush it off as 'unnecessary' and be on his way. The teen felt torn; on one hand he hoped that Six would actually go through with it, since he desperately wanted to get closer to the quiet man, physically as well as emotionally. On the other hand, he feared what could happen as a result and didn't want to stick around to find out. Having to spend more time with his crush _during close combat practice_ was a recipe for disaster. This culinary concoction was regarded in terribly high hopes and woes for this teen.

"Sure. Fine by me," casually answered Six, he gave the boy a final glance before heading down to the doors to, what was most likely, prepare for the upcoming fight.

Rex…where to begin? The first few things that happened as a direct result to what the teen had suspected as 'unlikely' were a series of total system shutdowns, reboots, and finally a double-take. He simply sat there, in his chair, for a good…five minutes. His wish came true; he was going to get a chance at getting 'close and personal' with HIM.

Never had Rex felt like running away to hide under his bed, scream Bloody Mary, and cry tears of joy all at once.

It was approximately an hour later that the two met up at the front of the castle. It appeared that Six had time to do his own thinking and clued Rex in that he was waiting for over forty minutes. Blushing from embarrassment, Rex apologized for his inconveniences and they both made their way to the closest open field.

The walk was brisk in the Abysussian morning; the sun was currently hidden behind a few silver-gray clouds and blocked out most of the harsh light. Once the two made their separate ways to corresponding sides, Rex called out to the man who was about thirty meters away, "Are ya ready?"

Without a word or any other signal, Six immediately lunged forward, quickly drawing his katanas in the process. To say Rex was surprised was an understatement. To avoid the blades' slashes, our hero, who was freaking out at the moment, activated his left jet engine to propel himself to the right. "Six! What the hell?"

Making no attempt at chasing after the boy, the ex-agent simply readjusted his tie and moved into a fighting stance, his muscles tightening in response. "Come at me, Rex."

'Why Rex? You make things so complicated. You had better not do anything reckless or I'll need to end things quickly. Even I don't know how long I can restrain myself…'

They both stood at odds with one another, about twenty meters between them. A steady breeze began to whip through the field, stirring up the grass to mimic the rolling waves of the sea. Rex slowly smirked at his partner's invitation to finish their fight. Steadying himself, the teen quickly constructed his own mechanical blade to match his opponent's. It wouldn't be much use to employ any of his other weapons anyway.

A split second later, sparks flew as their swords clashed, battle cries accompanying them. Left and down, twice from the right, parry then up. These reactions and counters were simple muscle memory for the two. Neither seemed to be tiring in the slightest from the sword play whatsoever. Noticing the monotonous boredom glazed in Rex's eyes, Six quickly sped up his attacks to a higher caliber. His katanas' reflections from the sun seemed to resemble scattered pieces of glass rather than two individual blades as his swings gathered speed and precision.

Rex tried to keep up with Six's speed, but was quickly overwhelmed. One after another, the blades stabbed at Rex only to be barely deflected by Rex's own. The teen finally changed up his plan and morphed his sword mid-strike. The top section detached and began to rotate at incredible speeds; his personal chainsaw had generated enough force to send one of Six's katanas flying out of his hands. The swatted sword whirled through the air until it stuck into an unfortunate tree on the other side of the meadow.

'How was that, Six? Have I gotten stronger?' Thought Rex, his emotions steadily growing; the motorized weapon revved up a few decibels higher than normal in response to the teen's passion.

Paying little heed to his predicament, Six changed his stance once more, now grasping the lone handle with both hands. His shoes began to dig into the ground; probably in preparation for another forward lunge…Rex was ready and waiting.

Neither of the combatants had taken precautions against the rain clouds that were growing overhead; it had been the low rumblings of thunder in the distance that dragged the two out of their little world for a few seconds. Refusing to check the sky above them, Six shouted, "We'd better finish this soon, Rex. I don't want to waste either of our time here in the rain."

"Right…" Spoke Rex, eyeing the darkening haze that was slowly consuming the sky.

With that, the two made their move. Six hadn't dove forward like Rex predicted, he had actually broke into a moderately slow run, which had the teen doubting what else might happen. Ignoring what other ideas popped into his head, Rex drove his chainsaw half way into the weakened soil and threw up a temporary dust cloud to hinder the ex-agent's sight.

Smirking, Six jumped out of the way and flanked Rex making sure to stay out of his field of vision. However, the kid surprised him once again when the rotating blades sliced through the dust cloud and straight at the ex-agent, parallel to the ground. Six had barely any time to react and made the most out of the situation by stabbing the underside of the blade's center axle throwing the whole weapon askew.

Luckily, Six managed to retreat to a safer distance unharmed as he contemplated what to strike next. It was then that the storm made itself known once again when a burst of lightning struck a nearby tree. Strangely, it didn't burst into flames; rather, it began to writhe about helplessly as it slowly shrunk into the ground. All the while, drops of rain fell, at first in sprinkles, but it was surely to turn into a weak downpour of sorts.

"Hmm, I guess everything in Abysus is an EVO. Six, I don't think that playing with 'metal' is safe anymore, ready for some hand-to-hand?" Asked Rex, his motor's hum dying down as the menacing chainsaw disappeared.

"Fine by me," replied Six, who simply sheathed his katana and placed it under a nearby tree, to escape some of the incoming rain.

'What's your game, Rex? You know that I have the upper hand…'

The next few minutes in the rain, which had finally given way to a curtain of cold droplets, was filled with punches, kicks, and the inconsistent shouts of adrenaline. Six was very careful now that they were much closer, although he had been caught off guard several times; he would likely have the miniscule bruises to prove it too. Six never doubted for a moment that Rex would surpass him. It was only a matter of time.

'Is it even right for me to be taking advantage of the situation? Should I really be-', Six was shaken from his internal argument when Rex had swept the distracted man's legs, who was now lying flat on his back in a mud puddle.

Inwardly berating himself for his folly, Six quickly anchored his upper torso as much as possible into the slippery mire using his hands and swung his body to catch Rex's legs, hooking them together and then slamming the teen into the muck. Unfazed by the grime, Rex scrambled to Six just as another strike of lightning illuminated the darkening scene. Rex unknowingly slipped on the mud and landed on top of the flustered ex-agent when he saw what lay before him.

Sometime during the last scuffle, it seemed that the ex-agent had lost his shades. Flabbergasted, Rex muttered out loud, "Six…your eyes."


	22. Genuine Gravity

***EDITED*** Thank you Silverloveless, Niromi, complicityangel, RandomDraggon, Tiny-SpockhatesTACOS, VitaliaSteele, and BordemIsAnUnderstatement for the reviews! ^^ I'm back guys! Oh, and just as a heads up, I've realized that since Season Two has come around, I'm only basing this entire story on Season One (since I made the outline beforehand). Anyway, if you see anything incorrect (canon-wise) or if you want me to incorporate a new character (especially a hot guy XD), please tell me! Also, I know many of you were expecting some hot yaoi this chapter, but no dice. The REAL stuff ain't happening till...the 30s. Anyway, I apologize for Rex's OOC-ness, blame it on Serotonin overdose. XD Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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The rain had cleared long ago and the two had bandaged what insignificant wounds they received from the battle prior. In fact, both had simply busied themselves with pointless patch-ups so they wouldn't need to talk to one another. The empty calm after the storm didn't help the situation one bit either; with no wind whistling through the trees, the silence between them was utterly stifling.

Without an exchange of words, Rex and Six merely stood from their respective corners and made their way back to the castle. The experience was thoroughly uncomfortable and both fighters would wish never occurred again.

Though they'd rather walk separately, both knew that it would be foolish to do so during such an antebellum. However, this did not stop them from traveling with a seemingly unreasonable twenty meter gap between the two, Rex taking the lead; although, the boy probably wouldn't have noticed, with his internal musings taking up the majority of his attention.

'Shit…why did I even ask Six? Now I'll never get to…' Rex shoved his tightening fists into his blazing red coat pockets, too agitated to calmly assess the situation. Furthered by his frustration, the teen began to grit his teeth, close to releasing the tears that were building up behind his eyes.

'Damn it. What should I do now?' Six clutched his forehead in an attempt at quelling the oncoming migraine; he furrowed his brow as he furiously calculated where everything went downhill. Perhaps it was the moment he so hastily agreed to join Rex in some sporty training. Personally, the ex-agent's heart skipped a beat or two when Rex tossed around the idea; here he was, perfectly fine with returning to his room when Rex, out of nowhere, flustered with the proposal of testing each other's strength.

It definitely caught the man off guard. Although, that may have been the moment of weakness; he should've said no or something along those lines. There were far too many unaccounted variables in play…and look at them now, their meek relationship was in total disarray.

'As if there was one to begin with…' Gazing up at the garish sky, his marred shades blocking out the Abysussian sun's rays as he searched the heavens for an answer. Six thought back to when it _really_ got out of hand.

It was wet and dark. Both participants were letting out soft gasps for breathe, their sweat mingling with the precipitation. The rain drops constantly splashed against their bodies as the clouds blocked out most of the sunlight, masking them in semi-darkness. The collective water that softened the ground beneath the two had sent chills up the ex-agent's back, its cold temperatures a stark change to the man's warmth. To top it all off, it seemed that he had misplaced his shades.

"Six…your eyes." Those words. They stabbed him deeply.

That shocked look in the teen's eyes really struck a chord in him. Perhaps it was reflex; it couldn't possibly have been on purpose, could it? A primal urge flashed through the ex-agent and he roughly slammed his legs into Rex's chest, sending the kid flying backwards into another patch of mud a few meters away. He slammed into the soft grime while a 'splatter' of mud met his ears, a sound too close in comparison to what the man had just recalled. The memories of blood-curdling screams accompanying the cliché spray of sanguine.

A surge of emotions coupled with flashing images sent Six off the edge for the briefest of moments; then it was all over.

"Six! What was that for?" Winced Rex as he stood back up, one hand clutching his stomach, the other wiping off the mud from his clothes. All of this was so sudden, but he knew that something was wrong. He could feel that unmistakable pain in his chest, but not from being kicked by that man.

Six was speechless. He didn't remember ordering his legs to strike the boy, nor his voice to remain silent…nor this hard lump in his throat to hinder himself any further. His hands trembled ever so slightly and the faintest feeling of guilt washing over him. It may have been the only time that day that Six was ever thankful for the rain. At least Rex wouldn't see any of him…like this.

"Answer me, damn it! Where'd this come from?" Questioned Rex, his voice carrying over to the ex-agent, despite the pelting rain and wind. "Does this have something to do with yo-"

"We're done here. We need to head back before the storm get's any worse," spoke Six, his heart pounding with every word that left his lips. He really didn't want to confront these emotions at the moment. The ex-agent's eyes scanned the grounds before falling onto a pair of wayward shades.

"We're definitely not done here! Does all this have to do with your-"

"I said drop it, Rex. Ugh, the weather's too severe to be moving around, we need to find shelter…we can pick up the conversation when we get back to the castle. I don't know about you, but I don't want to come down with pneumonia in the middle of an EVO jungle." With that, Six walked back towards his katanas and Rex had little choice but to follow that damned man.

'Six…your eyes…'

It took a few minutes of walking, clenching of fists, and an overall silent trip to a thicker part of the forest before they arrived at their destination. The pair came across a massive tree that still retained its leaves; although, even without its foliage, the branches were numerous enough to block out the downpour.

Obviously, they sat as far as possible away from each other to brood over the recent events still fresh in their minds. Everything was in chaos for the two, if White had decided to launch a surprise attack against the two, the outcome would have been an absolute defeat.

The rain continued to patter against the hard bark of the tree and the winds continued to howl through the branches. As such, the two continued to sit and wallow in their own little worlds, utterly swamped by their mutual feelings of deepening betrayal and dimming hope.

'Rex…why did you say 'that' with that kind of face?' His thoughts searching for what it could possibly mean.

'His eyes were widening in shock…shock. Fear.'

"Does he think I'm a monster? Am I really that disgusting?" Whispered the ex-agent, his trembling hands reaching up towards his face. Even though the digits weren't soaked through to the bone from the rain, he could still smell that awful stench, taste the metal, and feel the velvety smooth texture of the liquid run through his fingers.

'Rex. Did you see all of that, just from my eyes? Please, don't let it come to this. Even though you might find me grotesque, please have faith in me. I can't remember much of my past, but these recurring images…I know that _that_ was the me of today. I'm not a monster,' thought Six as he bowed his head to rest against his crossed arms, a temporary headrest for the time being. This mess was far too taxing for his liking.

On the other side of the tree, Rex laid in the same position with his back against the tree. He slowly brought his head up from his arms to gaze up at the darkened sky through the tree's bundle of branches. He gave a soft sigh, raising his hand up to his chest, the pain slightly wavering only to return full force.

'Why Six? Why did you do that to me? If it's my fault, I'd gladly apologize a thousand times over. Please don't stay mad at me. It hurts so much more knowing that you're the only one I've ever felt this way towards.'

The troubled boy couldn't grasp where he went wrong. Was it really the last few seconds of their fight that led to this? Would Six ever talk to him like he used to ever again? Rex winced at the thought.

Shaking his head, Rex finally came to the conclusion that he definitely needed to fix the situation and fast. Although, it wouldn't be easy to apologize to 'that' man, especially with the current mood. With a sliver of hope, Rex steadied himself.

'I guess I have nothing to lose anyway.'

With the close of the boy's thoughts, the storm finally blew itself out. The rains slowly receding and the clouds parting in the slightest of twitching wisps. Recognizing that the bizarre Abyssian weather had left as quickly as it came, the two began their trek back to the pathway to the castle.

However, as time quickly passed, Rex's guilt and fear of what the ex-agent would say slowly chipped away at his determination. Likewise, Six's trepidation grew.

All that had passed, occurred ten minutes ago…

The rain water left behind from the storm had utterly drenched their clothes; even after wringing them to the best of their abilities, the fabric was still moist. It was still rather chilly with them on, but they would serve their purpose until the two returned to the base.

The only sounds breaking the deafening silence between the lonesome pair was the occasional clatter of a loose stone on the road or an unlucky twig snapping beneath their feet.

It seemed to come out of nowhere really. A sudden gust of cold whipping wind blew past the two. With wet clothes sticking to wet skin, the usually delightful 'breeze' turned into a terrible leeching wind for the one in front, namely Rex.

"Achoo!"

"Bless you."

Their feet stopped. Rex turned around so fast, the ex-agent was sure that he heard a good crack or two emanating from Rex's back, but the thought barely registered. It was completely out of redundancy he even spoke, he did it without thinking and…and…why was Rex smiling?

"Six! You DO care! And I'm so sorry for what I said too, I didn't mean to offend you at all," shouted a mood-swinging Rex. Apparently, those two words were enough to pull the teen back to his senses, who decided to make up right then and there. Screw patience, he couldn't take things slowly if he tried.

"Honestly, Six, I don't know what I was thinking back then. I shouldn't have done that, I mean, I know how self-conscious you are sometimes…Anyway, I think their fucking awesome. Your eyes, that is. I'll say it again and again, just so it gets through that skull of yours."

Six was completely stupefied. 'Rex. Apologizing to me. Why is he so hap-'

"Your. Eyes. Are. Fucking. Awesome. Got it?" Beamed Rex, his mission accomplished as the terribly heavy weights vanished from his shoulders; bettering his mood by the second.

"Err. Fine; if that's all, let's quicken our pace. I don't want either of us catching a cold," the ex-agent spoke with the straightest face he could muster. The change in personality was aggravating _and_ confounding at the same time, yet those words brought so much joy to his heart. He was so jubilant that it nearly made him smile, but Rex could still hear it beneath the near perfect monotone speech.

Rex was glad. Rex was glad Six was glad. He felt that he could take on the world.

Incapable of holding it in any longer, Rex broke out in a full on sprint down the path, shouting, "If you're that worried, then hurry up! You don't wanna catch pneumonia or whatever, right?"

With his back turned, Six let down his mask, a small smile forming as his furrowed eyebrows lessened. If only Rex had his earphones on, the impeccably stoic man would've bellowed a hearty laugh, but since Rex didn't, he didn't. Realizing that he still needed to respond, Six shouted back in his proper leveled, droning voice, "Alright. Alright."

As they both made their way back to the castle, Rex took his chances and craned his neck to check up on the ex-agent rushing behind him, hoping to catch the man in the act of _actually_ smiling. Alas, Six had already shifted back to his original demeanor. Well, it didn't really matter anyway, as long as Rex knew that he still had a chance, he was happy. He could wait a little longer before he could repeat the words he truly meant to say.

'Six…your eyes…they're beautiful…'


	23. Elucidated Error

Thank you Hatter Madigan, HiddenSilence, RandomDraggon, Tiny-SpockhatesTACOS, and complicityangel for the reviews! Alright, about twenty minutes into updating Ch. XXII, I felt it wasn't right to add that last sentence...so I got rid of it! ^^ For those of you who read it in time before I removed it, I'll say this: Yes, the prediction is still on schedule, but no, the chapter is more happy. So pretty much, you got a sneak preview of what's going to happen. Anyway, its come to my attention that you guys are getting annoyed that I'm either not explain the color of Six's eyes AND/OR the fact that Six and Rex haven't done IT yet. Please have patience people, when the plot calls for it, it'll come. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

To Kleiss' phenomenal chagrin, although the rowdiest of residents was outside the castle, the grounds were still in total disarray. This was caused completely by the utter 'tomfoolery' of a certain trigger-happy primate and destructive blond. Despite the fact that it would only take a few meager seconds to repair everything, it was still a 'hassle;' at least in Kleiss' opinion.

"Hey, do ya think those two'll be fine? It was raining pretty hard out there," commented Bobo, he was currently dodging a barrage of bullets and was taking his time reloading behind a less-than-fortunate Kleiss statue.

"I'm sure they're fine. By the way, I've set a few charges in that area, be sure to watch yourself now," responded Noah as he continued to chip away at the statue, occasionally shredding a chunk of the mid-section. Noah gave a small smile as he flipped a switch in his pants pocket and the ground about five meters behind the statue suddenly blasted apart.

Halting his fire, Noah peered through the dust cloud to check whether his surprise attack worked or not.

"You know, it was a pretty good idea to take advantage of the soft soil from the rain, but I can tell if a hastily buried bomb is there or not," whispered Bobo, he had taken cover from the explosions in the nick of time, though he wouldn't have admitted it, the boy had talent.

Said boy quickly side-stepped to the right and turned his arm to prepare for another frenzy of flying lead. The chimp chuckled from the boy's reaction, but returned to a more mature stance and readied his own blasters.

'The kid's not too shabby with a gun, but his tactics and bluffs are where he shines. I need to watch out for his main strikes from his weapons and his hand-to-hand, but that's to get me closer to another hidden bomb,' thought Bobo. It would've been a lot easier to search the area for explosives, but with his patch on, it wasn't likely. The conditions to take it off weren't right anyway.

"Y'know Bobo, I never took you for the calm and calculating type of guy. You seemed to be more like Rex; straight to the point, fighting on the front lines kind of thing," called out Noah, he berated himself for not paying attention to his ammunition running low. He quickly fixed this with another set of charges to buy him some time.

"I could say the same thing. You're sharp as a knife!" Calmly replied Bobo, enjoying the somewhat half-hearted fight, all the while bantering as they exchanged bullets across Kleiss' posy garden. The man was definitely going to be steaming after all this, especially with Noah's bombs going off every other minute.

'The only problem with your shooting's your aim; it's a bit sub-par…though, you seem comfortable with handling. If I didn't know that you had prior experience in Providence, I'd think that you're some kind of genius. Well, as you are now, strength is the only thing you're lacking.'

"Hey, watch where you're going," shouted a lax blond, his firing ceased as he brought the weighted weapon back to his side.

Checking ahead, Bobo had barely any time to side-step the motion sensitive explosive. He _really_ had to be careful around this boy. 'Hmm, I wonder which is more dangerous, him or Rex?'

Bobo exhaled as he stretched his back, sure that something was strained. With a grunt, he heard a few pops before meeting up with Noah. As soon as he found him, he said out loud, "Whoa, speak of the devil and he appears."

The other two combatants had arrived after the smoke cleared. Bobo would've expected Noah to at least talk to them, but after a single glance, the blond immediately dashed off in the opposite direction. The kid looked frazzled to say in the least; too bad the monkey didn't notice the strange glint in his eyes.

Returning his gaze to the others, he took notice to their own state of attire. No wonder Noah was upset, Rex and Six looked like they just…well, it was pretty bad. They were both panting, their clothes were wet, and it looked uncomfortable as it stuck to their bodies.

"What did you two do?" Bobo half shouted half whispered, too conscious not to, since the daisies had ears here. If it wasn't for the fact that a simian wearing a fez and an eye-patch was asking them this, they were more likely to laugh, but…

"Well…it was all Six's fault-"

"What are you talking about? You're the one who fell on me!"

"You put me up to it!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I've known you two for long enough that what you're saying now shouldn't be taken the wrong way," said Bobo, with a tinge of annoyance hanging on his tongue. He pointed to Six first, he was more level headed, anyway. "You. Talk."

"After we decided to practice outside the castle walls, courtesy of Rex's enthusiasm, we were caught in the recent storm. After which we returned via a non-stop sprint," stated Six, he himself readjusted his frames, which were slightly off from the slickness of the water on the bridge of his nose.

"I bet you next breakfast's second serving that he has a tiny booklet somewhere on him where he rights up speeches for such an occasion…" hummed Rex, a toothy grin plastered on his carefree face.

"Well, now that _that's_ taken care of, I want you guys to apologize to Noah, you probably scarred him for life with this kind of misinterpretation," called out Bobo. He was already heading off back to the castle, probably to get some shut eye after his own fight.

After a few quiet seconds, Rex burst out laughing, "Go on Six; go apologize to Noah for your _behavior_."

"…As long as you're just milling around, I'm dragging you with me. You're just as guilty as I," countered Six, a smirk gracing his features.

"Oh? I do believe this is the closest I've ever seen you smile. And here I thought you were a robot in disguise," spoke Rex, his arms raised above his head as he stretched. The two continued to chat as they caught up to the monkey, then the three made their way to wherever the blond ran to. All the while, a few peculiar petunias recorded everything they did.

Stupid petunias.

Holiday released a sigh as she shook her head in mock disappointment, "How bad do you suppose Noah took things? He did seem rather flustered, don't you think?"

Both doctors were urgently working on their little experiments without the slightest breathe of hesitation, not a single movement wasted. It was a flurry of chemicals, fingertips tapping against a keyboard, and the occasional mutterings of why the variable kept coming out negative. Although, the two scientists were still able to spare a discerning glance at the 'Flower Cam' to take the edge off of the monotony.

It was really amusing to watch the next generation flounder about in their own confused emotions and hormones, especially when you could do it in such a discreet way.

"The boy is just naïve concerning his feelings. Although, I could care less; I'd rather solve this troublesome problem, not some kid's love life," gruffly spoke Kleiss, currently pouring a silvery solution into a test tube.

Eyeing the peculiar bubbling of the solution, Kleiss immediately threw the concoction out a small window, where a smoky explosion quickly followed. Peering down the shaft of the opening, Kleiss clicked his tongue in his own carelessness, "Drat. Should've diluted the serum further…Holiday, how much of the serum do we have left?"

"At the rate you're going through it, not enough," called out Holiday, currently preparing another batch for the oh-so-reliable mad scientist. This process had been repeated several dozen times over; the two were slowly improving the anti-venom, but the strange enzymes causing the test nanites to go hay-wire were difficult to handle.

"Anyway, sorry to keep pushing the conversation off tangent, but doesn't he remind you of _him_? Not so much romantically, but in a light comparison. Am I the only one to notice the similarities?" Asked Holiday, she turned around and set another container on a nearby counter. Strolling back to her chair, she continued her calculations.

"Heh, even after so long, your photographic memory sure does have its uses…its almost scary how you can still recall _his_ mannerisms fifteen years ago-"

"You mean nearly sixteen years. That date is a little over five weeks away," interrupted the female doctor, her fingers hesitating for a moment before resuming her work.

"Ah, how could I ever forget such a momentous day…" Kleiss whispered to himself and after a few quiet seconds passed, he chuckled to himself.

Catching his suppressed laugh, Holiday voiced her thoughts, "Something wrong, sir?"

"Ahahaha, no, no. I've just chanced upon a possible answer to this medical mystery. This talk actually spurred on some…unsightly memories. When I recalled that terrible day, I had immediately compared it to a virus. Even though it was of the past, it just kept resurfacing…it was still such a damaging thing."

Kleiss gave a curt sigh before moving on, "On that, I pondered, what if instead of combating this black substance directly…we let the body handle it?"

"What do you mean by that, Kleiss?" Holiday asked, her interest peaked by the vague statement.

"Antibodies, my dear, antibodies," whimsically responded Kleiss, a smirk slowing forming.

"But we've tested this out, even though this black substance is obviously an antigen, the body's immune system wasn't able to recognize the foreign matter at all! How do you expect what isn't available in the first place?" Questioned Holiday, her patience slowly wearing thin by the confusing conversation.

"My dear Holiday, instead of having the body's defenses recognizing the black substance; why not change its appearance to something it _can_ detect? For example, why not create a new serum that can attach to the nanites, lying in wait for the intruders, and suddenly re-attach to them?" Exclaimed the former villain, a spark growing in his eyes with each passing hypothesis.

'Oh great, his passions are being rekindled…' thought Holiday. She shuddered to think what terrible experiments the man would come up with next.

"This way, the body can instantly fight off the liquid and the effects warded off!" Spoke Kleiss, a confident smile accompanying each energetic word.

"Yes, this does sound promising, but what of the newly concocted serum itself, wouldn't it trigger an immunal response as well?" Asked Holiday, still not yet convinced. She wasn't about to let Kleiss have his way and use her new family as guinea pigs for his untested experiments.

"The same way nanites don't trigger them; we simply need to have them coated!" Replied Kleiss, his train of thought obviously following Holidays.

'He already considered this as well?' Thought Holiday, her worst fears avoided, she continued the theory.

"And how do you propose we do this? We cannot simply 'coat' each manufactured protein in silicon or titanium," retorted Holiday, her hands clenching slightly at the end.

Kleiss inwardly chuckled, 'She's still worried about that? No matter, I've never made any critical mistakes in my career after that event.'

"By 'coating,' Holiday, I mean plunging the serum with blood plasma from each individual. This would give a safe pass for our substance and while it re-attaches to the invading black one, it would shed its coating and reveal itself to the host's body," said Kleiss, confident that Holiday would at least consider his perfect plan.

After an unbearable straining minute of silence, the woman finally consented to the idea. The two worked feverously throughout the rest of the day, never resting for a moment. Their feelings of regret, anger, and hope fueled their actions. With each passing second, they were ever so slightly advancing toward their mutual goals. She moved forward to protect her loved ones. He marched on, to never look back.

To find an anti-venom, stop Providence's reign of destruction, and utterly crush White.


	24. Dreadful Dross

Thank you, SixRex equals to SeX and Tiny-SpockhatesTACOS for the review! How on Earth have I procrastinated the update of this chapter for +6 weeks? Oh dear, there isn't any way for me to apologize except by updating till the end...and make the chapters uber-fantastic!~ Aside from my mellow-dramatics, I sincerely apologize for this...break in writing. I do have my reasons, but rest assured (again) I will finish this story. When reading this chapter, I understand AND sympathize that its rather fast-paced, but bear through it. There's a lot of important tid bits scattered through the chapter, especially the end. Without further ado...Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

The white linen sheets were immaculate. The silver cutlery was spotless. The glass wares were clear as crystal. Not a single blemish, not a flaw to speak of.

"Perfect."

The man checking his table was delighted to see that all arrangements were made and with not a single hair out of line. Although he was able to eat whatever he wished in his room when the hindrances were still with Providence, he was rather disappointed that he couldn't do so without restrictions. It had been well over a week and White still couldn't quite adjust himself to the 'outside' when dining.

"Hmm. Such decisions to make…should I have the white clam minestrone or the abbacchio with clam sauce?" White muttered to himself as he stirred his, oddly enough, red wine glass. "Trash, what would you suggest?"

"…Ma-may I s-suggest…th-the-"

BANG!

"…Too slow. Someone, clean this mess up, it's ruining my appetite…Oh, and I'll have the lamb," spoke White, his nonchalant demeanor a complete mismatch to his surroundings. White waved his menu above his head as another waiter approached the table, side-stepping the bleeding colleague. He breathed out a sigh of contentment as a few shaking servants disposed of the corpse and removed the reddening stains from the silver and gold design along the Persian rug.

The fabric had been switched out with a blood-resistant strain some time ago.

As White dined in peace, the man was slightly preoccupied with a vibrating PDA in his coat pocket. Clicking his tongue in mild disinterest, Knight hastily retrieved the offending piece of technology and checked the incoming message. As his eyes skimmed the data, his eyes were growing wider with each passing second.

By the time he'd finished reading and subsequently deleting the mail, he had placed his fork back to its original position, frowning slightly. White sighed as he murmured to himself, "What a hassle."

'Let's see…if it's true, then I'll need more material to work with. I'll have to set the afternoon meeting back about an hour…and dinner will need to be set back too.'

"Such grievances shouldn't be burdening my shoulders. It'll be such a bother to dirty my hands once again."

It wasn't until a full hour later that White found himself back in his comfortable office chair, waiting for the minutes to slip by. It was such a slow day for one so serious. The man was unusually happy though, despite the irksome situation. All that mattered now was the sliver of tinted metal as it slowly crept across the face of his desk's clock; a tiny mechanical click accompanying each step of the hand's journey.

A quick succession of knocks from his door across the room broke the patterned noise and White's smile retreated back into a ubiquitous smirk.

White unlaced his fingers from each other as a single knobby finger tapped a small button near his intercom.

"Enter."

Without further ado, several figures paced into the room and sat in their respective chairs that stood in front. The four didn't fidget nor squirm under the steely gaze of their superior; the unnerving silence didn't seem to affect them either. It wasn't until White quietly stood from his chair to saunter over to a bookcase on the opposite end of the room.

The four didn't quite understand the meaning of the lack of orders, but knew that disobedience was not tolerated. To their confusion, it appeared that their new boss had a far more volatile disposition to that of their old one. However, they didn't pay much heed to the new environment; they betrayed Kleiss to live.

It wasn't everyday when a wolf in sheep's clothing showed itself. The four had, without any regret, deserted their previous positions to keep from suffering at the hands of a certain malevolent organization. To the Pack, the only thing that mattered now was staying alive as long as possible. Unfortunately, it seemed that their luck had just about run out.

The effects were felt immediately. Their heart rates and blood pressure fell, their arms and legs grew weak and immobile, and their abilities were good as gone. "Wh-What…"

"The hell?"

"Knight!"

"What's the meaning of this? What's going…" Then their voices left them.

"Ah, much better; all that noise was such a nuisance. I'll spare you the details, but let you understand this," somberly spoke White, his bony digit clutching a firearm. "All of you S.G.s should just die."

Four shots afterward left the room eerily quiet. White paced over to the four slumped bodies and twisted his face in disgust. As a gurgled noise escaped one of the figures, White whipped out his gun a second time and shot once more, silencing the straggler.

"Hmmm…how anticlimactic…oh well, it's to be expected of the dregs of perfection," muttered Knight, his form quickly making its way to the nearby desk. His fingers lingered over the intercom's button until his firmly pressed it.

The man waited a few seconds before a pinging sound was emitted, "Do you wish the bodies to be disposed of?"

"No. Although the trash is trash, their abilities will prove useful. Send a team to package them and send them to the Dorvic Sector for preparations."

Almost immediately, a group of five burst into the room. There were three men in contamination suits and following behind them were two grunts, fully armed. They quickly bowed in the presence of the head of Providence and set to work. With disturbingly practiced ease, the medical team black bagged the four EVOs. During this process a few more poured in to assist in transporting the bags. In less than a minute, the bodies were whisked away, down to the depths of Providence.

One of the men in the protective gear apprehensively approached White and handed him a folder. After taking a few steps back, the man waited for White to finish his perusal of the information.

"Anything else?" White curtly spoke to the worker, tired of this annoying situation.

"A-Actually, sir, one of the four subjects was still clinging to consciousness. So as per your orders, ten milligrams of the selected soporific was injected before being taken away," stuttered the grunt, his eyes cast down as to not meet his superior's cold gaze.

White smirked at the mongrel's tenacity, but nothing was outside of his calculations. If his test subjects had to be cryogenically frozen and wheel-barrowed down to the labs, so be it. In the end, he'd always have his way.

'Not even that puny pocket of resistance in Abysus could withstand my will.'

Tossing the clipboard back to the scampering grunt, Knight turned around to peruse through his papers in the nearby filing cabinet. He needed certain documents to check over his current findings…to compare.

"Hmm…which was it under again? This one, no, maybe this…" White muttered to himself, a sudden sense of elation overcoming his cold exterior. He was so close to advancing to the next stage in development; one step closer to his goal, especially with those fools out of his hair.

Taking out a single sterilized manila folder, White unhooked the clasp and dusted off the articles. At a first glance, the sheets of paper were simply just that, paper. However, with a few tricks including heat and ultraviolet light, one would begin to recognize what the pages really were.

_- __Dorvic Corporations, Inc.__ - [Personal Log]_

_Day 26, 14:00_

_Progress has finally advanced to human testing; I look forward to what data can be collected, albeit the locals continue to pester our research labs, demanding we leave. It will only be a matter of time until we reach the end. The Supervisor is quite pleased with the rate of progress and intends to increase the funding he has so generously provided. Dr. Kleiss had also informed me of a possible government investigation in three days. I will need to prepare our "River Water Treatment Center" for them…can't have anything 'suspicious.'_

_Day 30, 15:00_

_The investigation was completed without a hitch. However, success wouldn't be shared with the actual project. Begrudgingly, the test subjects immediately suffered symptoms similar to auto-immune diseases. At least 95% of the total has already expired and the others are soon to follow. It appears that the mechanisms are too invasive, or rather too pronounced. More testing is required; despite my best of efforts, it seems that the lab assistants are quite curious in my line of work. I think it'd be best for their consciences if I didn't expose them. Offhandedly, dear Holiday seems to be quite fond of the local Mexican cuisine. Perhaps I should introduce her to Uyvella, her dishes are superb._

_Day 41, 19:00_

_There is something terribly amiss in the central control room. I fear the worst. Dr. Knnet and the other two scientists have rushed to the disturbance, but I haven't a clue where Weith or the lab assistants have disappeared to. Regardless, it seems to be in my best interests to contact the Supervisor; I suspect treachery. I have already informed Kleiss of my concerns and he had also set off somewhere I do not know._

_Dy 42, 3:00_

_I'e ben expsed to th machnes. I dnt now if I'l live, bt the ohers wre defnitly cught in the blst. My body is chngin. 'm currnty in nland nd hae set up rsidene nar Lonon. If yur reding this Weit, knw that I won let you win._

"Hmm…look at how far we've come, my dear colleague," silently spoke White, a wistful smile gracing his face. After a light chuckle, he filed back the piece of paper and his cold outer shell reformed, "Unfortunately for you, it will all come to an end."

Making a brisk trot back to his desk he quickly punched in a set of numbers while a monotonous ringing filled the room. Three, four, and then five rings later the other line finally picked up.

"Well? What do you have to report?" Snapped White, his shortly lived patience growing thin.

"Pardon my French, but would it kill you to at least properly address me?" Muttered the irritated agent on the other end.

"What do you have to report, Agent TWO? Now hurry it up," shouted White. He was always put on edge whenever conversing with the wily agent.

"That's better. Well, the party seems to be developing faster than previously anticipated, but this isn't outside our capacity to utterly crush them. Nonetheless, the target is recovering and seems to be 'bonding' with the traitor. Agent Eight had also been compromised. Aside from this, I will be moving forward with the plan, alright?" Rhetorically questioned the double-agent, the person's voice grating White's ears.

"I decide whether this plan comes to fruition, so don't get ahead of yourself Agent-"

"Don't test me. If it wasn't for my handy-work back then, you wouldn't be in power now. So don't let it go to your head, WEITH! Even though I'm called Agent Two for outward appearances, I have just has much strength as you and your silly Providence does combined! Try to cross me, and it'll be the end of you," seethed Two; an icy undertone shook with each word.

"…Fine. Do as you like," surrendered White, a slight migraine developing between his temples. The man gave a withered sigh, as he placed the phone back into its proper socket.

'That person is definitely bipolar. Too much of a nut-case for me to handle anyway. After I win, just go die and leave me be.'

As White sought some pain relief from the safety of his high office, the double-agent retracted his two way communicator from the inside of said agent's clothing. Glancing from behind a broken pillar near the rear entrance of Kleiss' fortress, a smirk wormed its way onto the infiltrator's face. After the area was free of any 'hindrances,' the person packed away the hidden gadgets and devices undetectable to both Rex and Kleiss.

"It's almost time…soon, you'll be dead. I'll make sure of it," whispered the agent, a dead serious tone setting into the agent's monologue.

"I'll kill you," the agent spoke as leaves crunched beneath each step taken.

"I'll kill you. Kill. Kill. Kill…" The agent began sprinting; up and down the winding trail until finally reaching the side of the castle, with no one the wiser. Beads of sweat clung to the agent's brow as the intruder slipped back into the building; barely short of breathe.

"I'll kill you, Rex," softly spoke the agent as the person reassumed the proper mannerisms and outward appearance of the person's façade. Walking down the dimly lit corridor, the person silently cackled, counting the minutes away, counting down until the deed was done.

"Just a few more hours left," said the agent, a simple brimming smile gracing the person's features.

"Just a few more, then you're all mine."


	25. Abrupt Assembly

Thank you complicityangel, BoredomIsAnUnderstatement, RandomDraggon, and Tiny-SpockhatesTACOS for the reviews! Alright, I think it's best if I let everyone know that my beta reader and I have finally created a proper schedule. So, from now on, there will be one update per week (usually on Monday-Wednesday). Be prepared! ^^ Oh, also, I'd like to warn the readers for a whole lot of dialogue, talks of fuzzy feelings, and a nasty surprise at the end. In fact, my beta was telling (scolding) me that I left a really troublesome cliffhanger...soooooo, take care!~ Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

The morning was bright; a tad too bright for a certain heroic EVO's tastes, but nonetheless bearable. The clouds refused to block out the sun's rays and the usually frail grayish green shrubbery surrounding the castle was a disturbingly dazzling light hue…All in all, the perfect representation of a wonderful late-summer morning. The sheer ordinariness of the dawn that Abysian day was abnormal to say the least.

There weren't any signs of attack, no malfunctions or miscalculations concerning the scientists' project, and best or worst of all, no one was in the mood to argue. Six wasn't particularly irked by Bobo's ramblings whose subjects ranged from the types of fruit he'd eaten to how badly he needed an 'espresso latte with a pitch of cinnamon, hold the cream.' Kleiss and Holiday were also sharing a rather uncharacteristic camaraderie between themselves.

Rex didn't like it. Not. One. Bit.

Despite his internal warning sirens blaring that something was bound to go wrong, as per Murphy's Law, Rex couldn't help to bring himself to ruin everyone's good mood. Thus, the current situation continued its trek unperturbed and without any further disturbances.

After a seemingly fuse-less breakfast, thanks to whatever benevolent force enacted on Six's katanas and Bobo's blasters, the group made preparations for each person's 'to-do list.'

With every day of the past half-week now, Six had made it his own business to patrol the outer seclusions of the Abysian forest's borders. It wasn't that anyone protested such logical, and slightly paranoiac, actions. In fact, the majority of the group found it necessary for their continued safeguard. The metaphoric clock was ticking, and it was in everyone's best interests to keep it as long as possible. So, without further delay, Six made it known to the outside world that he was off for his rounds.

Unfortunately for Six's case, Bobo 'volunteered' to assist Six with the dedicative vigil, muttering, "I start ta chafe whenever I have ta stay in one place for too long. Don't worry 'bout me, I'll be fine. After all, I _am_ a monkey, right Shades?"

Six visibly stiffened at the nickname. Though, if it was any consolation to the snickering simian, Six had enough tact to do away with the mouth-with-legs where no one could see…was what everyone thought. Luckily for Bobo, Six possessed enough patience AND tolerance to put the Dalai Lama to shame.

"…We'll be back around noon, don't do anything stupid Rex…Oh, and Kleiss I expect you to keep your word," spoke Six, more than enough monotone than what was typical. It seemed that the 'Shades' comment was still taxing his nerves.

"Of course. In fact, I'd be more than delighted to pool our information….and no, Rex, it's nothing that can damage our mission," said Kleiss, his flittering black cape curling over his form as he began to walk back to his studies. "If you all don't mind, I am in desperate need of a recharge; Holiday's tinkering has served me well. Her genius surprises even me, sometimes."

With that, somewhat unnecessary last comment, Kleiss bid them farewell as he turned the corner and strolled back down to the labs. A small lapse of uncomfortable silence wormed its way into the conversation. Swatting it away to the best of his abilities, Noah asked, "Wait. Bobo, why would you _want _to travel out onto a harsh track that hasn't been tended to, be on the lookout for approaching enemies, where you'd be on the front line of defense should this occur, and have to deal with him for the better part of the morning?"

Noah was slightly pale and gasping for breath after that tirade…

After re-accustoming himself to filing his lungs with air, Noah attempted to close his outburst, "I mean, what I meant to say was…why can't we just hang out or something?"

Everyone stared at the child prodigy and his utter personality switch to that of a self-conscious teenager. Rather befitting when it comes down to it. He wasn't even supposed to be IN this fight. It was only natural for him to seek out a friend. However, what was truly peculiar was that it wasn't Rex whom Noah seemed affixed to, it was Bobo.

'Even if I don't think about that, he's been rather unresponsive lately. He's even keeping his distance from me…does he hate me?' All these thoughts whirled through Rex's mind. His face heating up slightly out of what might have possibly been anger, or mistrust, or…jealousy?

'I'm jealous of BOBO? No, no, no this isn't right. I gotta confirm this,' thought Rex, a tinge of worry lacing his features.

"Hey, Noah. Why can't we hang out? What am I, chopped liver?" Rex shouted, bringing out a toothy grin, hoping that Noah didn't catch on.

"Oh, well it's just that I have some unfinished business with Bobo, I'm sure can hang out some other time, Rex," nonchalantly spoke Noah, all he gave was a quick side-wards glance before it fell back to the simian in question.

"Ahhhh, I think I really should get goin' and all. As for a little bondin' time, why don't we all hang out? I'm sure there's plenty of wayward EVOs Kleiss wouldn't mind us stomping on," diverted Bobo. Sensing some underlying tension, he tactfully maneuvered himself so Six, the undaunted adult in this sort of situation between him and the two 'quarreling' teens.

"That's perfectly fine. I, myself, am rather busy as well. Please take care everyone," responded Noah, his curtness obviously intended. He quickly made his way back to what was probably his own room.

Bobo meandered close to Rex and muttered, "I think he's trying to make you go to him…"

'Is _that_ it?' Though Rex, partly upset at the roundabout manner.

He, however, was more focused on these conflicting feelings. Erstwhile convictions began to bubble to the surface, twisting and convulsing with his fervent longing for the other man in his life. The two conflicting yearnings clashed and churned like water and oil; neither giving any ground in this internal turmoil.

"Rex? Rex…REX, snap out've it!"

Startled, Rex flinched back, his arms up in a defensive position and his head swiveling about in search of an enemy. Without any noticeable danger, Bobo lightly smacked the butt of his blaster against the teen's, most likely empty, skull and said, "Wake up, chief. People are going ta start questioning your IQ levels..."

"Listen here," he added, "I know that we haven't sailed the smoothest of seas for the last few days…weeks…but ya need to pull it together. At least for the time being. Regardless of how bad things may seem now, we're all workin' our hardest to win here. We all need you, Rex, to stay focused most of all."

"I'm sorry for saying that stuff earlier. It kinda slipped out…but please, Rex, keep a stiff upper-lip and keep looking forward. You can work on your love-life after we kick White's ass, right? We'll ALL be there when the time comes," promised Bobo, a somber like wave washing over his features. That was, until a few moments later when his mischievous grin broke out from beneath his mask.

"Besides, someone's gotta keep em' in line for ya! I don't care which way ya swing, by the way. Whoever ya go for, I'll support ya one hundred an' ten percent!" Boasted Bobo, his statement accented with a hearty slap to Rex's back. The once downtrodden atmosphere disappeared and was immediately replaced with a far more homey feeling.

Rex felt much better. With a content smile, Rex departed the simian and headed back to the front gates while Bobo backtracked to his own quarters to prepare his things for the little 'excursion.' The cybernetic EVO paced across the slightly parched yard to the seated Holiday. She was preoccupied with the soft hum of the wind as it slipped through the rock pillars close by. She turned her head to see Rex sit, and subsequently lie down, onto the adjacent stone bench.

"How're you holding up?" A simple question. Though without the calm and almost peaceful situation, might've gone over the line in terms of intrusion.

"…I'm alright," replied Holiday a small ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"How about you? Is everything good on your end?"

Meanwhile, the ex-agent and the monkey readied their small packs. One with the basic necessities such as a few bottles of water, a two-way radio, and a first-aid kit. The other was filled with…whatever Bobo felt like lugging around for the next three hours or so. At any rate, it took less than ten minutes for the two to be on their way as well.

This left the already conversing doctor and teen to their own devices.

"-I said it's perfectly normal, Rex. Nothings 'wrong' or bizarre about having feelings for another male," encouraged Holiday. The discussion had taken a minor plunge into Rex's love life…and as a woman, Holiday had fueled the inquiry onward.

"But…I don't know what to do. I…I think that I'm doing things right, but I can't be sure. All these feelings and stuff aren't really my forte doc," admitted Rex, his shoulders slackening under the weight of his invisible burden.

"Don't be ridiculous Rex. I've seen you accomplish feats that I couldn't possibly dream of! I know…I definitely know that you'll be able to separate these emotions and discern them for what they really are. When it comes down to it, just take your time. Let your heart speak for itself, Rex. You'd be surprised at how easy and comfortable it is to decide who you love," said Holiday, her hand tapping his right shoulder, waking him from his stupor. When he looked up at her, she returned a bright, simple smile. It was full of life, life that he thought had been wiped from her being. It was comforting.

"Hehehe. Wow, look at me. I haven't even told you who I like yet either, and you've given me so much support and advice," joked Rex. He must've outdone himself with the grin he displayed to Holiday.

"Rex, we've known each other for such a long time. Why wouldn't I…Rex? Rex! What wro-"

Holiday swiftly stood and rushed over to Rex, whom held a pained expression while clenching his head. Rex doubled over to land in the doctor's arms, when she attempted to check for any signs of distress or wounds, the ground began to shake. As horror engulfed her, she didn't even manage a gasp of surprise as several boulders smashed into the castle. Some of the said projectiles fell hard, fast, and too close for comfort. A nearby opened hallway crumbled beneath a wayward black stone, probably obsidian. The rock shattered to pieces and a stray shard ricocheted deathly close to the stationary pair.

This brought the doctor out of the fearful daze as she redoubled her efforts in transporting Rex to somewhere safe. Her struggle proved successful as she managed to drag Rex toward a stairwell far from the falling debris.

The teen was, by all accounts, in pain. He clamped his teeth together to prevent himself from screaming as body involuntarily convulsed. His nostrils flared as he desperately took in air, his fingers accidentally drew blood, and sweat was beading across his forehead. It wasn't looking good.

As all these facts flashed through Holiday's head, she quickly deduced that Rex needed to be sedated, even if to bring him all little relief. Searching through her bag for something, anything, she failed to notice the eerie scarlet vortex materialize behind her.

A single bloody blow to the back of the head rendered the female doctor unconscious, but definitely alive. With large, strangely twitching fingers a four-armed figure extracted the incapacitated boy back into the swirling mass. A lingering second later, the portal closed, leaving behind a sleeping doctor amongst the piles of rubble and the rest of the teen's friends, who were just as stupefied as the rest.

Even in her dreamless sleep, she and everyone else who was caught up in the spontaneous attack thought to themselves, 'How could this have happened?'


	26. Maleficent Medicine

Thank you RandomDraggon, BoredomIsAnUnderstatement, and complicityangel for the reviews! I apologize for the late update people, if you didn't read my journal from DeviantArt, then I'll let you know that there will be no scheduled updates for next week due to the holidays/vacation. On the plus side, there'll be a double update the week after that, so don't worry! XD Ummm, also for this chapter, watch out, a whole lot of craziness and unrequited love. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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It wasn't safe wherever she ran. To the left or to the right, both sides of the dimly-lit etching of a path seemed to scream death. So she continued to run as fast as her legs could take her. Although, she was definitely not alone; there were snapping, cracking sounds reverberating from behind her. Whatever it was, it was catching up.

That was when she started hearing the whispers.

"_It's your fault."_

"_They're gone all because of you."_

"_You'll never see them again."_

"NO! I didn't do it on purpose, stop this!" Holiday screamed out to the nothingness, neither the voices nor the disembodied scratches responding to her shout. It was all too quiet; not even the clacking of the hard soles of her shoes against whatever substance she ran on made a sound.

Holiday's eyes widened as she tried desperately to break the noiselessness, but to no avail; even her own voice left her. Lifting her hand tentatively to her neck, she checked if anything seemed amiss, the same process done for her ears.

Suddenly, the light emanating from the pathway disappeared as well, plunging Holiday into complete darkness. Holiday had been left without the use of her eyes, her ears, and good company.

'Was it really my fault? Am I to blame for their deaths? Am I…dead?' Holiday curled up to herself, bringing her knees up to her chest for what little closer she could muster. She tried to cry, but not even the sounds of her sobs reached her deafened ears. It was cold and lonely.

_Tick…tock…tick…tock._

Holiday perked up her ears, still incapable of seeing anything, the mechanical working of a nearby clock were welcome sounds.

_Tick…tock…tick._

The sounds were coming closer and closer; straining her eyes, she was also able to manage a blurry image, a person, approach her. It was a woman, her hands outstretched with a small trinket on her palm.

"Wh-who are you? Are you a-a gho-"

"Of course not, Holiday. I'm here to wake you up," responded the stranger, her voice oddly familiar.

"What do you mean by waking me up? Aren't I dead?" Inquired Holiday, anxious for answers.

The figure laughed, saying, "Of course not!" Her voice reminded Holiday of bells…so familiar.

"Are…you my sister?"

The mysterious person stopped her raucous laughter and kindly replied, "No, Holiday."

The woman walked closer until the doctor could finally recognize the figure. Gasping, Holiday whispered, partly unsure of what she was seeing, "You're…me?"

"Or at least a representation; you're not going crazy from your own guilt," calmly spoke the dream. She later removed the chain connecting the ticking pocket-watch from her wrist and showed it to the real Holiday.

"No matter what had happened in the past, you need to overcome them. The future is wrought with perilous obstacles. Without you to guide the others, their paths are bleak…And beware, you weren't the only person secretly working for White Knight," foreshadowed the dream, her voice filled with worry.

"…I…I understand. Thank you, whatever you are," stated Holiday, slightly comforted by the dream's words.

"No, thank you. Perhaps we shall meet again," wistfully spoke the dream, the ticking sounds growing fainter and fainter with each passing second.

"Unfortunately, your sleep is not over yet. I've actually trespassed into your mind, so the previous nightmare will continue. I promise you it won't last long," said the dream, its form fading back into the nothingness.

After the disappearance of the dream figure, Holiday was wracked with painful images of what had been and what could've been. However, strengthened by the dream's words, she was easily able to withstand them.

Holiday didn't know how long this procession of vivid images lasted, but she was finally able to tear herself from her nightmare and awaken. Naturally, as most dreams, the information it carried was washed away back into her subconscious. The words said by the dream and the power behind them was kept safe and sound, patiently awaiting it's time to be remembered and to fulfill its purpose.

The moment she cracked her eyes open, she shut them immediately, hissing from the stinging bright neon fluorescence above. Releasing a slight groan of discomfort, she brought her hand to the back of her neck. A small thrum of pain jutted from a lump just above her fingers' reach.

With the shock from her minor wound, the memories from before returned. The quaint conversation she shared with Rex, the peaceful moment shattered by the ambush, and…a blank.

'What happened after…' Holiday's thought process halted for a terrifying moment. 'Where's Rex?'

She shuddered, inwardly cursing her lack of ability due to her mild amnesia. She quickly deduced what must've occurred while she had blacked out. They took him.

'Damn it…Damn it! I couldn't stop them again. They took another one from me…first sis…now Rex!'

She began to silently cry, her salty tears raking across her cheeks and onto the soft sheets bundled beneath her fists. Holiday sobbed for what seemed like hours, when she heard a quick rapping against the wooden door across from her bed. The doctor tried her best to stifle her weeping, but it was hard. The tears refused to stop and her throat was choked with a fiery pain brought about by her harsh breathing.

After a screech of a door's hinges and a few tentative steps, Holiday looked up to a rueful Noah. He had a small first-aid kit to his side and his hands were fiddling with a bandage, probably for her.

Taking a better note of her surroundings, she realized she must've been in the sick ward. A section of a newly refurbished area where Kleiss and she had been working for the past few days. Although it was unnerving what could've happened if they hadn't completed in time, it was a small relief knowing that she was in capable hands.

Refocusing her gaze from the other occupant of the room back to her own person, she checked over the visible work done on her. There was definitely some blood loss, but not enough wherein a transfusion would be necessary…and no IV fluid either.

"You've been unconscious for nearly an hour now…Holiday," spoke Noah, his usual cheerful voice oddly distant. He looked up from the table he worked on and walked over to Holiday's bed. He quickly folded up the side of her shirt to reveal a reddish pad. He skillfully removed the used cloth and carefully administered the other in his hand.

"Luckily, the blow to your head didn't cause any internal hemorrhaging. How do you feel? Do you think you can stand?" Questioned Noah, his monotone inquiry slightly breaking near the end. He was trembling.

Taking deep breaths, Holiday attempted to recompose herself. She didn't know for sure whether Providence had done away with Rex, but all she could do at this very moment was pray that he was safe.

He worked so hard to bring me back to my senses back when I had to be locked away in a jail cell. Its high time I at least return the favor.

'I won't let them hurt you Rex. Not anymore.'

With another final exhale, she opened her eyes and lifted her gaze to Noah. He had taken the time to pull out a hidden stool beneath the rim of the desk prior. Although her heart was pounding loudly against her ears, she was still able to pick out what he was whispering.

"…nd Bobo had returned from their scouting, but it seemed that the Providence forces had attacked from the very opposite side of the border. Kleiss was beyond surprised; he was utterly stupefied as to how they were able to predict our movements so well…" said Noah, his eyes cast down, staring at his entwined fingers that sat upon the desk.

This information caused Holiday's brows to rise ever so slightly. She thought, 'They could predict our movements?'

"Somehow I was able to escape the attack while I was in the lower floors of the castle. The attack had only lasted a few minutes, probably just enough time for Breach to swoop in to capture Rex."

Noah looked up; despite his state of sadness, there were sparks of anger welling up behind his light blue eyes. They were harsh and desolate; Holiday subconsciously inched away in fear.

"Kleiss surmised that White had locked onto the energy signature of Rex's nanites and used that as a homing beacon. Through some unknown means, he was also able to render Rex incapacitated, since there weren't any signs of a struggle…"

"Noah, have you been caring for me the entire hour?" Asked Holiday, a feeble attempt at distracting herself from the guilt and anguish threatening to burst through her defenses. She also did this in hopes that Noah wouldn't try to bite Bobo's head off should he enter now while the boy was in such a…delicate state.

"No, actually. The others were also in here with me. Bobo was the one to carry you to the ward and Kleiss and Six tended to your wounds. I was more of an assistant and at least one other person was with you the whole time. Six's shift was over about ten minutes ago, so I'm the only one here now," replied Noah, his voice returning to a more comforting, soothing tone. He probably didn't want to make Holiday feel any worse…though his eyes were still a bit icy.

"What I don't understand is why White waited for so long to attack us. What could have possibly been his goal?" Asked Holiday, a burning need for answers overriding her fear of losing those dear to her. The woman's hope was definitely growing. She didn't want to believe it was over yet.

"Hmmm, I'm not quite sure. I guess that he didn't have to means to carry out his plan until now? But…this could mean that he wasn't fully capable of finishing his plans yet either. So he's still not done."

"He's not done…not done," whispered Noah, his shoulders beginning to shake.

"Noah, are you alri-"

"No. I'm not alright…Holiday," whispered Noah, his barely noticeable quivering slowly escalating. "I'm not alright at all."

Noah stood from his seat and silently walked over to the edge of Holiday's bed. He sat down, his weight shifting the bed slightly, but not to the point of affecting the doctor who lied but an arm's reach away.

"I haven't told anyone this, but I can't hold it in any longer…" Noah began; he seemed so weak and vulnerable now when, just a few seconds ago, he appeared completely sure of himself. There was obviously something wrong with Noah. It could've ranged from mild depression to bipolar psychosis, but nonetheless, the boy needed her.

"It hurts, Holiday. I'm hurting so much, it…it's unbearable!" Shouted Noah, his once icy glare slipping into one filled with tears.

"This is so difficult…I admit it. I love Rex! I have for so long…but things have become so complicated. I thought that I could work up the courage to tell him, but…but…now everything's a mess!"

Holiday was stunned to say the least. She had an inkling that there was some kind of connection between Rex and Noah, but it was quite the wakeup call for the doctor when she realized how deeply Noah felt for the other. Still in a state of mild shock, all Holiday could do was to continue listening.

"I've been simply watching for some time, not since he came to my doorstep. I didn't want to interfere because I could see that he loved someone else. I did my best to hold it all in, but it got harder and harder as each day past," said Noah, he rested his forehead against one of his hands as the other raked through his golden hair. He sighed as he stuck his fingers into his front pants pocket, far too restless to remain still.

"My head tells me that I should let him go…otherwise I'll get hurt, but…I just can't seem to follow it to the end. Holiday, wh-what should I do?" Begged Noah, his frustration was nearly palpable though his words. Holiday was torn between counseling the poor boy and staying quiet, too fearful of her own voice that she might give away just how stumped she was as well.

"…Noah, I…I think I should tell you something that needs to be said."


	27. Imperceptible Intercept

Thanks for the review -.-Rin'.Lullaby-.-, BoredomIsAnUnderstatement, Tiny-SpockhatesTACOS, and RandomDraggon for the reviews. Alright, despite my (hopeful) intentions of having a double update...I had little forethought when it came down to it, so I sincerely apologize. On another note, I'll have to postpone the update for next week, but everything should be back on schedule by the week after...Oh and for this chapter, some hidden facts (whether you've deduced them already or not) will be brought to light...although, you probably might have to read between the lines. Anywho~ Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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Holiday was presented with a most troublesome situation. She was currently launched into a whirling love triangle, wherein all of her dearest friends were a part of. It appeared that there was some sort of relationship developing between Six and Rex, and Noah was off to the side, with his unrequited love for the other teen. It would have only been logical to question one's authority and to what a person should and shouldn't say.

'What should I do? He's in terrible pain and…and…should I just make it worse by telling him the truth? Tell him what I've heard and, dare I say it, _encouraged_?'

'Ugh, and I've already drawn his attention…I need to decide…'

Holiday's conscience teetered between allowing herself an easy escape and throwing her conscience out the window…or completely spilling her side of the story concerning the probably soon-to-be couple, tactfully of course.

It never quite occurred to her that though it wasn't in the job description, giving advice on love wasn't exactly her forte. In fact, during all of her faux acting with Rex and his inadvertently lewd innuendos, she never managed to successfully turn down his offers without a bit of stumbling. Each conversation they 'shared' was always haphazard, and usually had Holiday reeling at each notice.

She never was one of the 'romantic' types.

Back to the current state of affairs, however, Holiday remained torn between her two most likely of choices. Tell Noah the truth or high-tail it out of there.

'One or the other. One or the other! C'mon Holiday choose!' The doctor continued with her inner battle. She didn't want to hurt one of her friends, but when it came down to it, she knew that it was better to stop this nonsense before the poor boy ended up hurting himself even more.

'Alright then.' Holiday breathed in and out, slowly and carefully. She wanted to do this right the first time. There wasn't going to be a second chance.

"Noah, remember when I broke down after learning about my sister's death? And how it was through Rex's and everyone else's help that I was able to recover?" Holiday talked slowly, hoping that Noah was still capable of understanding what she was saying. She didn't want to scare him away, especially when he had opened himself up to Holiday and poured his heart into his confession.

Noah looked up from his weary position. His eyes seemed to have also reddened slightly, though no tears fell. Wasting no time, Holiday to that as her queue to continue.

"I would give my life to protect any and all of you. I really would. If it came down to it, I hold your safety and happiness over mine, no matter what. So, it's in your best interests that I tell you now before it's too late," said Holiday, her voice trembling with doubt. Though, with one look at Noah's hunched form, Holiday steadied herself, forcing her speech to the end.

"Despite the fact that you've told me this already, I must reiterate the obvious. This relationship is unhealthy. You're hurting yourself every day; each time you hatch onto these feelings, you're dragging yourself deeper and deeper into a hole I'm scared you'll never be able to climb out of…" Holiday trailed off, her worry ghosting over her eyes as she swallowed a lump that developed in her throat.

"Please, Noah, reconsider. You're young and full of life. This path you're walking might just cut it short," she spoke. Holiday repositioned herself on the bed, focusing her attention on the boy across the room.

"Let it go, Noah. Let _him_ go. If not for me, if not for yourself, do it for _him_. You can see how happy he is, right? I don't want to make you feel like the bad guy in this situation because you're not," said Holiday, her eyes searching for any sign of acknowledgement or agreement.

"I'm very sorry for intruding so deeply into your feelings for Rex, Noah. Truly, I am. I _promise_ to be there by your side every step of the way."

Holiday had lost herself in her own speech. Her emotions had completely filled and coursed through her being. She'd never felt so sure about something before. Well, not quite in such a fashion or subject as love, but in a sense, a new perspective. Being able to look at something from a different angle, a different light, made everything shift and turn in such marvelous ways.

Holiday thought for the briefest of moments, if these words, these thoughts, could have emerged from her own feelings that had locked itself away deep down in her heart. Shaking free from the vaguely ludicrous idea, she became aware of her position.

She found herself standing now, only an arm's reach away from the blond. Widening her eyes in shock, Holiday suddenly felt her legs buckle from her sudden standing position. Catching herself, she clenched her hands till the knuckles whitened, then lifted her gaze to Noah. He'd yet to move from his original seated arrangement.

Softly clearing her now parched throat, she settled herself back down onto the covers, keeping her eyes on the form in front of her. Noah had been silent during the whole thing and Holiday began to wonder whether any of her words and reached the teen.

Calming down from what could have possible devolved into a hastened shaking of the lad in hopes of awakening him from whatever stupor he was inflicted with, Holiday instead watched and waited.

She heard his breathing; they seemed forced and slightly pained. Holiday's eyes narrowed slightly, her medical consciousness tallying up the 'symptoms' of what could have been plaguing Noah. There were too many variables and she thought to herself, 'I'm overreacting. I need to get a grip and be there for Noah when he's ready to talk.'

Holiday didn't have to wait long for the blond to stir.

Watching the teen straighten his back slightly, the doctor saw his lips move. Pushing against the edge of the bed, Holiday strained her ears to listen to what Noah had mumbled.

"Noah, what did you say? I couldn't quite hear," spoke Holiday, her voice a comforting, soft tone.

Noah snapped his head up, his eyes sharp and indifferent. His glare buried itself deep into the woman before him, as if he was staring at a disgusting carcass. His face had also twisted into a sinister frown, a complete opposite to what Holiday was used to. Noah's grim look lasted only a moment before morphing back into a more compliant one.

Holiday hadn't felt such dread in a long time. Something was itching at a far corner of her mind to run, run as far away from this place as possible. If not, there would be terrible consequences.

Stunned into silence, the woman released a timid breath she forgot she'd held.

'That…that was…' Holiday's mind reeled at what had happened.

Noah's expression didn't hold much now, the burning hatred and malice vanished with the wind. Instead, what graced his features was a more reserved and wistful look. It didn't seem like much and was hardly noticeable, but there was an apologetic undertone beneath his swirling blue eyes.

His eyes always held such powerful emotions. Being who she was, Holiday tried her best to move on from that one disturbing moment in time. She took note of what Noah's features were now, though her hands were still shaking.

The horrible taught frown line disappeared from his face while his mouth opened slightly, a sliver of white teeth peering through. Although, the redness from his previous partial explosion of emotions still remained, the discoloration was steadily fading.

Noah spoke something at that moment, but Holiday was, unfortunately, too enraptured with the feelings of dying hope that slowing waned from her system. Clearing her head, Holiday attempted to correct her state of mind.

"I-I'm sorry, Noah. Could you please repeat what you said just now?" Asked Holiday, her voice quivering with something akin to apprehension.

"Oh…well, what I meant to say was…" Noah started, his eyes dropped down to meet the woman who lay seated at the end of the bed.

'When did he stand?' Holiday suddenly wondered.

"I understand completely…" Noah's voice was indeed stable for the most part, only the ends of some of his words were either clipped or wavering.

'Even though my head says that his vocal patterns are accurate to this situation…something is off.'

"After thinking things over, I think that it would be in everyone's best interests that I drop this hindrance. I have you to thank," gently spoke Noah.

'Where did that frightened Noah go? What's...what's going on?'

"Well, to make things clear, I've settled this millions of times in my head. To let my feelings for Rex go," said Noah, his eyes glazed over appearing more frigid and cold than normal.

"It was never easy for me, especially when I hadn't felt this way before for anyone. To me, Rex was special, even though he only saw me as a friend…and I accept that."

Holiday looked on, deciphering what Noah slowly explained, some pieces beginning to fit together in some part of her analytical brain. Her expression softened a bit.

"Although, it was far more difficult to finally say these words…even though they sting, I know it's for the best." Noah continued to talk, something about how he valued friendship over a hapless love. How Rex's happiness mattered more and how he was going to keep his word.

All the while, Holiday watched this progression and wondered, 'Is this it? Will this run as smoothly as he says?'

Crushing the lingering doubt threatening to surmount her, Holiday centered her thoughts on how they could move on.

'Alright. Now that this is coming to a close, we all can work together to save Rex,' Holiday thought adamantly, her conviction never faltering.

"Noah, I know we can get through this. C'mon, could you help me up? Let's go greet the others. We need to start planning Rex's recue," cheerfully spoke the doctor, her demeanor invigorated by Noah's upbeat attitude.

"…I couldn't agree more, Holiday." Noah quickly rushed over to the woman. His hand outstretched to catch the other's in order to pull her up. Gingerly shifting his weight accordingly to Holiday's, the two quickly made their way to the door.

With a slight screech from the frame's hinges, the two made their way into the brightly lit hallway and closed the door with a small thud. Squinting her eyes against the artificial light once more, Holiday turned her head to the left, motioning Noah to take her that way.

Since the medical facility was constructed quite recently, there were only the barest of essentials available. There weren't any decorations or fantastic machinery littering the corridors. Holiday's lips turned up slightly, knowing that things were going to change.

The walk was relatively short and both Noah and Holiday found themselves in front of another doorway. Reaching into his pants pocket, Noah removed the jingling keys where his fingers hooked under. Once the lock was removed, the blond preceded to open the door when the woman had a thought.

'I don't remember the path to the exit leading through here. This should be the…' Holiday's train of thought left her shuddering.

'The lab…This is a side-door to the medical station's laboratory.'

As Noah turned the knob and swiftly opened the door, he nearly dragged Holiday through the entrance. Yet, he quietly settled her down into a nearby seat. He whispered under his breath, "It's just about time…"

Quickly scanning the empty lab, save for himself and Holiday, he noticed a few tables and computers. On the opposite side, there were a few cabinets filled with chemicals and other unstable compounds. Finally, he looked down at Holiday. She was seated in a black wheeled chair, stationed at a lone long table, probably for reading and other diminutive activities.

His hand raised up to clench the fabric of his shirt. He could feel the ever constant beating.

His heart. His racing heart, pumping and pumping endlessly. It never tired and always kept on schedule. With a surge of glee, it instead slowed down, in preparation for what was to come next.

Pupils dilating, he turned around and slow walked towards the still-opened door.

"N-Noah, where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

With each step he took, he leisurely tore down his façade. Slowly, bit by bit, till there was nothing left, but hatred.


	28. Computerized Contingencies

Thanks for the review Rugiku, RandomDraggon, -.-Rin'.Lullaby-.-, Tiny-SpockhatesTACOS, and VitaliaSteele! Alright, now down to business. For the past...dozen or two chapters, I've been hinting and hinting and HINTING for what's going to occur in this chapter. Some may have caught them, others...not so much. However, at the very least you'll come to understand _some_ of what I've been trying to accomplish. So, kudos to those who've figured things out before this chapter! ^^ Oh, by giving you the information I'm about to do so, try see if you can figure out what _his_ plan is...and another thing, to avoid confusion and other chaotic nonsense, the stuff in italics near the end are flashbacks. Yes, the next few chapters are based in the past. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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Noah's shoes clicked against the tile flooring as he briskly made his way over to the entrance. Each footfall made a loud, piercing pop that barely echoed in the silent room. Each one more menacing than the last. Each one dragging out the invisible force known as hope from the doctor, only to replace it with a sore pit collected at her core.

'A door can have only two uses,' Noah thought philosophically.

'Either a gateway in which to flee.' His hand lingered over the brass handle. 'Or a wall meant to wrench away a prisoner's will to do so.' _Click_.

Holiday wasn't sure what had happened next, but for a moment, Noah was simply standing at the door, and the next, she was staring down the barrel of a pistol. The rather outdated weapon was held directly toward the bridge of her nose, and she strained her vision up towards the offender.

Noah was staring right back; his deep, yet bright blue eyes peering down into hers. Unnerved, Holiday couldn't bring herself to speak.

'Wh-What's Noah doing? What's going on?' Holiday's eyes widened as her fingers began to shake. She unconsciously clenched them to stop.

So many things were wrong. She had suddenly realized her throat was dry as a desert and attempted to quench it by swallowing, but to no avail. She tried to force down the need to hold herself, her head clear enough to stay still. Though the tight ball of grief within her, continued to grow.

'It can't be…it…it just can't be,' Holiday thought, her eyes began to tear up and after a quick blink, the salty brine cascaded down her shallow cheeks.

Holiday could've continued her emotional train wreck, if it were for the raucous laughter that erupted from the blond's mouth.

The peals of hysterical cackles lasted for a good ten seconds, before Noah wiped a mock tear from his eye. He quickly descended till his head was a shy inch from Holiday's ear.

He whispered, "Is this how you greet a fellow brother-in-arms, _Eight_?"

A couple of events played out within the next few seconds of Noah's message. First, Holiday doubled over, her eyes wide as possible and her mouth agape. Her figure was trembling to the point of an analogous seizure.

A scant split-second later, Holiday could feel a burning sensation from both her legs. She'd been shot. And it hurt.

She would've screamed out and attempted to staunch the noticeably minimal bleeding, but she found her body held tightly, her head forced into the ground by a constraining hand. She, instead of crying out in pain, gurgled out a pathetic groan as her captor lifted his appendage off.

She coughed, attempting to steady her breathe, and wearily stared down at the singed edges of the bullet holes. The ruby droplets ran down her whitened legs, but then pooled at the bottom, spreading out along her fallen form. It was like watching a small stream that formed after a light rainstorm.

Lifting her gaze back up to Noah, she noticed that the gun had a silencer on it.

'No wonder I didn't hear anything,' wistfully thought Holiday, her mind never the farthest from the deadly truth that awaited her. She was growing too tired of all this heartbreak.

The pain surprisingly dulled out faster than she'd anticipated. 'Anesthetic?'

"You shouldn't bleed too much…from _these wounds_. I made sure to avoid the major arteries and veins. Anyway, don't try running off now, Six and the others can't hear us when they're halfway across the castle." The abrupt comment shook Holiday back to the present.

"You…you're with him. You and White," coughed out Holiday, her eyes fogging up slightly; the strange drug was mixing into her bloodstream.

"Yup. Can you believe how hard it was to _finally_ proceed to this stage in the plan? Oh, right. You weren't that high up in authority to be 'in the loop.' Oh well. At least I can tell you that I meant what I said about Rex and me," said Noah.

"He'll be all mine…Hehehe. Do you know how much I've worked to bring us together? I knew that you guys would bust out to _rescue_ him. Although, it was sooner than anticipated," sighed the blond, a manic grin tugging at the tips of his mouth.

"Do you know what I am? I've been keeping a secret…and it doesn't just include my change in allegiance," teased Noah as he seated himself into the chair Holiday was in previously. He sat backward with the backrest of the chair propping up his hunched form. He nimbly reloaded the gun, like he'd been practicing it over and over for years.

"I'm an EVO."

"What-"

"And not only that. You won't believe this, but my power is a lot like Rex's. I can manipulate and inject my nanites into other beings…I can bend them to my will, plant ideas and emotions, heck, even kill them from the inside out. It's been rather convenient for me and for my own agenda," spoke Noah, a scheming undertone littered his speech.

"Can you guess how I do it?" Noah's eyes narrowed slightly in an appreciative stare, as if he was prodding a dead puppy.

So much information. So many to ponder, so many 'ifs' and 'hows' filled the young woman's mind that it was unbearable. Having the metaphoric mist wiped from her reality was simply too much.

Holiday had finally lost the last of her will to resist, to fight, to hope that all this wasn't happening. "Through physical touch, right?"

Her voice spoke volumes. It was utterly crushed; she knew that no one would come to save her, it was inevitable. 'To think it'd end like this.'

"Right on the mark! Can you possibly fathom how arduous a task it was to inject my nanites into each and every one of my puppets? Well, at least I was able to snag a few splendid specimens without anyone the wiser."

The doctor's eyes slammed shut her mind finally realizing what had been there all along. 'He got Rex. That was the reason why he wasn't able to fight back…why he'd been suffering all along. Noah was behind it all, even our…even our voyage to Kleiss.'

"So…the way you are now…being a genius-"

"Oh heavens no! I've always been a prodigy, even _before_ the nanite explosion fifteen years ago. It's only because of a certain side-effect that I retain a more…_ youthful_ appearance. My body's growth was slowing ever since _that_ time…" Noah's voice trailed off, as his eyes ghosted over with a nostalgic air.

However, this lasted for the briefest of moments, as he snapped back and cocked the gun that had been aimed at Holiday's forehead. A small smile graced his features and he stood up slowly.

"You know…Holiday…if you guys hadn't interfered so much. I wouldn't have had the need to kill you all…well, maybe not all. Six is basically my love rival, so I'm going to rip his guts out the next time I see him!" Noah shouted out in maniacal glee when just a few seconds ago, he was quiet, mournful, and possibly regretful.

"You're telling me all this because, in the end, you'll keep me quiet."

"Bingo." Noah's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Good bye, Holi-"

In the blink of an eye, Noah had lunged out of the wheeled chair he was perched in and flung himself across the room. If he hadn't done so, he would've been smashed against the unfortunate door that had been kicked off its hinges.

Noah let out a throaty growl as, of all people, Six stepped into the room. Holiday was utterly stunned by the unexpected visitor. Six was furious to say the least.

"How did you catch wind of this? You were supposed to be accompanying Bobo on the other side of th-"

Noah didn't have time to finish his sentence as a gleaming blade came flying at his face. The traitorous blond expertly dodged the katana and aimed his gun squarely at Six's face and fired. Aside from Noah, Six was also moving at incredible speeds.

'Just what is going on? I can't keep up,' thought Holiday.

"I just had this feeling. This scratching at the back of my mind that told me that I was about to lose something I wouldn't ever get back. Now, tell me, where's Rex?" Shouted Six, his jaw clenched shut in anger at what the other EVO had done.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Rex is with Providence…but don't worry, I'll take _good_ care of him." Noah quickly snatched a device he left in his pocket and immediately flipped its switch.

As soon as Noah activated the gadget, a series of explosions rattled the castle, blowing hole right through the ceiling of the room. As the surrounding structure crumbled around them, Noah quickly made his own escape amidst the chaos.

"Go die in a hole, please!" Cheerfully cried out Noah as he leapt from floor to floor through the frame's holes making his way to the top. This caught the current attention of a certain ex-agent.

"Where do you think you're going, No-Holiday! Watch out!" Shouted Six, he shot out to grab the handicapped doctor and saved her from a falling steel beam. The steel girder harmlessly clanged against the floor, a wide crack appearing where Holiday lain just before.

Six continued to side-step falling debris as he made his way to the door, the exit made by Noah had already caved in. He rushed through the hallway; thankfully, the blast hadn't affected the deeper portions of the building. Or so it seemed.

A few more explosions rumbled through the complex and the ex-agent swore under his breath. He hastily ascertained the closest exit, opposed to digging deeper into the fortress, in hopes of survival.

"S-Six! You need to go after Noah! If we can capture him, we'll have some advantage over White whe-"

Holiday was cut short when the forgotten wounds in her legs sparked angrily from the rough movements.

"You're hardly in any condition to chase after him and I can't leave you like…_this_," said Six, motioning to the fresh holes in her legs that began to bleed again. "Besides, you're my cherished friend and a mother to Rex. I, along with everyone else, promised that we wouldn't abandon you, right?"

'That's right. I'm not alone anymore…I can't give up. We need to save Rex,' inwardly thought Holiday, her hands clenching the fabric of her shirt to feel her pulse.

A feeling of relief washed over her as she felt her still-beating heart, she released a held breath and greedily sucked in another. To breath, to be alive, it was a miracle. Thanks to her friends, she managed to escape death yet again. Breathing never felt so good.

"Six. Thank you, again," whispered Holiday. Despite the loud roar of the blasts, Six still caught the words and he smiled.

"You're welcome, Holiday."

The two finally made it outside to see the others; both Kleiss and Bobo looked worse for wear, but altogether in good condition. Six sent a 'look' over to the former villain who quickly ushered the pair to a makeshift table. Setting the woman down, the man quickly went to work to remove the bullets.

After the quick touch-up, Holiday quickly checked over the work before quietly nodding to herself over the surgical skill of the plant wielding EVO. She lifted her slightly tattered body over the edge of the table and took in the scene before her.

Bobo was eyeing his blasters that had taken some damage and was attempting to clean them out. Sitting next to the simian was Six, who was probably dead-set on wringing a certain teen's neck. Kleiss was walking away to set down the medical kit he used for the bullet removal and stitch work. Apparently, Noah was correct in his aim, none of her arteries and veins was damaged and the muscle was more or less fine.

The only thing that was injured beyond apparent repair was the castle itself. Being bombarded from outside and crippled within was simply too much for the worn building. The whole image caused Holiday's head to spin as she recalled a familiar painting…but from where?

Shaking her head, she focused on the conversation that was unfolding between the four of them.

"Don't worry, Holiday. I already explained everything Noah did while Kleiss worked on your legs. I think it'd be best for us to relocate for now and decide how to counterattack…as well as get back Rex," somberly spoke Six.

"I understand how this is an unsettling turn of events, but shouldn't we further incur whether we may have another…leak?" All eyes turned to Kleiss, expecting the worse.

Kleiss continued, "I'm sorry. It's just that after having my underlings attack me and nearly kill me, I've been rather…apprehensive to any further bonds. I swear that I will pour my entirety to saving Rex and defeating Providence."

"Well, now that that's settled, shouldn't we move from here? There's no reason for White to NOT attack us again, especially when we don't have a flimsy castle to cover our hides now," urged Bobo in his own linguistic fashion.

"Though I'd hate to agree with the monkey, he's right. We're basically defenseless now. We should move," concurred Kleiss.

"Still, I can't believe that back-stabbin' blondie was workin' with White!"

…_You! You're with him too, aren't you?..._

"Yeah. We can't linger on the past now, pack up your things we can get a head start using the helicopter. Kleiss and I managed to salvage some spare parts and upgraded the vehicle."

…_It should have WORKED! Why? ...How could you do such a thing?..._

"Hmmm. How long till we're in the air? I think we'll need to restock on supplies."

…_You took everything away from me! I'll NEVER forgive you!..._

"Please do tha-Kleiss? What's wrong? Hey, snap out of it! Kleiss!"


	29. Electrical Eidetic

Thanks for the review Complicityangel, BoredomIsAnUnderstatement, RandomDraggon, Alopunk, Billie the fourth sage, XxSkyexBluexX, Tiny-SpockhatesTACOS, and Haliae! So. I know that I've (neglected) been unable to update for the past...month...ish. There's been lots of things getting in the way. Soooo, this here is a genuine unbeta-ed chapter, BUT it's also the LONGEST chapter I've ever had the pleasure of writing. ^^ Just as a precaution, there (may) be some 'continuity errors' scattered about. Also, I've finally gotten to introduce some MORE OCs of my own making. By next chapter, the last of them will be introduced (partly anyway, you'll find out why) and the story will start to answer the questions I've been scattering about since chapter one! ^^ Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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He opened his eyes, but nothing greeted his sight except darkness. He wrenched his arm forward hoping to grasp something, anything nearby. He was displeased to find his fingers slip through nothing. That was when he remembered.

'_I'm unconscious…'_

Kleiss sighed out, the abnormal silence about him breaking only then. Sudden as a blast of frigid air, and probably twice as startling, a strobe of white-hot light purged the area. Wincing from the harsh brightness, Kleiss brought up his arms to shield his eyes. However, his arms couldn't stop the piercing thrum of a nameless din that rattled his ears.

The light slowly began to fade and the siren-like noise that threatened to burst his eardrums dulled along with it. What replaced the whitened surroundings was a whole world that bloomed from within. Colors splashed and spread with blinding speeds. By the time everything had settled, sounds had begun to return with a muffled undertone.

"_Hmmm. A projection…or perhaps a hallucination?"_ Spoke Kleiss, his own voice reverberated against formless walls that reminded him of his…limited mobility.

Kleiss dragged his curious gaze across what appeared to be an abandoned structure. The barred windows and iron gates lay to waste as the elements slowly tore everything apart. The brick building was littered with graffiti and crumbling holes. After the quick once-over of the dilapidated establishment, the man turned his eyes toward the smaller housing.

The immediate conclusion of Kleiss' observation was that he was 'supposedly' in a shabby village only god knew where. The man also had an inkling that he wasn't alone. It seemed that along with the relatively poor residence, there were fishermen traveling along the local riverside.

The river itself wasn't much to brag about; it was mostly shallow, but deep and fast enough for the archaic wooden craft floating on its surface. The drifting merchants would systematically haul their catches for the day and exchange them for whatever currency was used. Besides the monetary payments, the fishermen seemed to hold friendly conversations with the dealers and didn't seem to be in any rush at all. The brazen banter consisted of how their daughters would make _fine_ wives for the up-and-running young men, who, by the way, were preparing to take their father's places as fishermen.

"_Definitely NOT close to civilization,"_ remarked Kleiss, a hint of chagrin lacing his words. _"It's a pity…I would have loved to dissect the wildlife here, but I'm in need of some information..."_

After what seemed like eternity, Kleiss stumbled upon a startling anomaly. He was completely non-existent to all the villagers.

He'd been minding his own business while walking down a dusty road when suddenly a small girl bounded past a corner up ahead. Despite Kleiss' obstruction to her path, she kept on running. Kleiss, on his part, was still affected by whatever otherworldly force and was too sluggish to avoid her. He tensed up, readied for the impact…when she ran right _through_ him. In simpler terms, it was an out-of-body experience that Kleiss liked very much NOT to repeat.

In spite of his 'ghostly' attributes, the man could still apparently walk _on_ the ground, Kleiss began to weaken beneath the heated rays of the midday sun. The sweltering temperature was enough to send Kleiss reeling into the nearest building. Said building just so happened to be the very same deteriorating domicile he found himself at in the beginning.

"It's about time, Kleiss. I was worried you'd miss the party."

Kleiss' eyes darted across the room until they landed on a familiar figure.

"_Who-"_

"Am I? Don't be frightened. This is merely an image, a reflection, if you will, of yourself." Standing before Kleiss was, in his own terminology, a 'physical manifestation of the intangible variety.'

A see-through, floating mirror-image of himself was _conversing_ with him. To say Kleiss was disconcerted was an understatement; he was _dead-set_ on nitpicking his way through this little hiccup in his logical mind.

"_But! Who's to say that you're nothing more than an illusion? And on top of that, what _exactly _is your purpose here?"_ Countered Kleiss, mentally berating himself for his clumsy jump to conclusions.

"Well, if you must know," started the reflection, "I'm rather behind schedule as it is…due to your non-punctual disposition."

The false-Kleiss took his time to remove a clicking, golden pocket watch and his gaze flitted towards the machine's face.

'_He's just trying to prove his point…however…'_

"_Then what, pray tell, are you waiting for?"_ Spoke Kleiss, eager to wring as much information as possible from this doppelganger.

"Oh, _I'm_ not waiting, anymore at least. The show's just about started. I'm here as reminder to you…a reminder that the next set of events to occur all, in fact, happened."

"_And what's THAT suppo-"_

The sounds of a door being forced open abruptly silenced the angered scientist's tirade of twenty questions. Whipping his head fast enough to suffer some protesting cracks from his neck, Kleiss was face to face with…himself.

'_Oh joy.'_

Although, this new version was considerably younger in years, ten at the very least. The mangled black and white hair was replaced with vibrant, shorter strands. No bleaching or otherwise to be seen. There weren't any signs of sleepless nights or weary, drawn-out arguments; the lack of wrinkles and darkened eyes would attest to that. And lastly…his hand. It was NORMAL; no grotesque mechanical _appendage_, no scars or warped flesh. Utterly, and perfectly normal.

Kleiss felt a pang of jealously stab at his shaking form, realization smacking him hard in the face that…that…he _looked_ like that once. Before the explosion, before the sickening spread of nanites, before he'd lost all accounts of this very day.

Kleiss' eyes narrowed in cold, disgusting comprehension that this…all of this was a memory.

The hole was still there, somewhere in his mind, but for once, he'd finally seen it. With the first steps taken, he'd venture deeper to seek the answers. Kleiss didn't know just _how_ he'd forgotten this day, but with time, he'd leave this memory studied, dissected, and dropped in a vinegar solution to be bottled up and stored with everything else in his technical mind.

'_Just WHAT happened?'_

"Done walking down memory lane, Kleiss? Good. Take a gander over yonder," said the reflection, a wiry finger pointed directly at the younger Kleiss and what appeared to be…White.

'_White.'_ Kleiss felt a surge of hatred swell up as he started at the youth. It always led back to that man; all of the troubles and hardships he'd faced were caused by _him_.

"Hello there. I've been told ahead of time of your arrival. Welcome to Sovereign," warmly spoke the young White, his mouth tugged into a formal smile.

"Hi, I'm kind of new here. My name's Kleiss, what's yours?"

"You can call me White. There're others here, too. Follow me," ushered White, his long strides forcing Kleiss to quicken his own.

The two continued their conversation, which mostly consisted of where and why the facility was out in the middle of nowhere, until they stopped in front of a quaint side-office door.

"_Supposing that this is all a memory, why can't I awaken from it?"_ Kleiss turned toward the phantom behind him, seeking answers once more.

"Because I won't allow it. If you are ever to come close to defeating the 'White' of your time, you'll need the information this memory contains," the ghostly figure finished his response just as the young White knocked on the door.

'_Just who are you?'_ Thought Kleiss, eyed narrowed in mistrust.

A despondent call of "come in" later and the two youths walked into the office. Immediately after entering the small workspace their noses were filled with the smell of coffee and aged paper. Several file cabinets lined the walls and a grand painting hung above the opposite side of the room. The two approached the desk, their shoes clacking against the wooden flooring, to see a pair of men talking to each other.

The one seated, a middle-aged man of Arabian descent, held out a warm hand for Kleiss to shake. The other gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, turned his head, and briskly vacated the room. Organizing his papers with a quick pat to line them up, the man behind the desk set them into a lower drawer.

Clearing his throat, the man spoke, "Welcome Mr. Kleiss to my corporation. I'm pleased to see that you've arrived so quickly to my invitation. We've much to discuss."

The true Kleiss watched on training his eyes on the unknown man, a pang of what he could only call anger surging through the seated man. He had black hair swept into a loose tail and deep auburn eyes. He was definitely one to keep to a schedule and was more than likely to have a penchant for cleanliness.

"I'm sure White has spoken of a few things, but just to cover the bases," said the man, sliding out a form. "I'd like for you to take a closer look at what our organization entails. This is a sheet that I've compiled conveying the basic outline of what this company strives for and what it's capable of thus far."

The younger Kleiss raked his eyes through the sheet until stopping midway, his head jerking back up at the other.

"Are you serious about all this? If…if this really is possible, why hasn't another country or corporation set their sights on this field of technology?" The dream Kleiss questioned.

"As you know, this world is growing, evolving if you will, at an accelerated rate. I, myself, am quite surprised no one has tried their hand at this sooner. However, don't assume that we don't have competition. There _are_ others marching towards the same goals as we are. Currently, we've the advantage and it would be in both of our interests to work together…" The mysterious man trailed off, a hand outstretched into the air until he fisted it.

"We've so much potential; you, White, and many more. This could possibly be considered a 'think tank' if it floats your boat. The progress we can make could change the world for the better. The possibilities and usages are practically endless. Medical, engineering, electronics, you name it…we can make a difference."

"I'm sure you've had a taste of the surroundings outside this shabby building," the man continued. "These people are _untouched_ by the greed and pollution of the world _we_ live in," the man said, a pained smile etched his face.

"But this sanctuary can't keep them safe forever; none of the sanctuaries scattered all over the globe can stop the encroaching borders of the civilized world. To truly make a difference for every last human on the planet, THAT is what I strive for. If we can accomplish this project, we won't need to worry about polluting the planet or squandering its resources. The technology we'll introduce will revolutionize the way everyone lives for the better."

A small cough was heard from outside the office, interrupting the man's monologue. "Oh dear, I've seem to have lost myself. I apologize, Mr. Kleiss."

"Oh, its fine. Truly," spoke the young Kleiss, a little blown away from the speech. He redirected his gaze to White, who had been silent from the very beginning, before returning back to the man in front. A small screech of the door behind, alerted the three that the man from before had re-entered the office.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I've important news to the new arrivals, sir," spoke the violet-eyed man, his English impeccable.

"Ah, a perfect time for introductions. Meet Dorvic Castus. He's the leading researcher of the corporation and the finance specialist."

"Please to make your acquaintance," Dorvic spoke bowing to Kleiss. "I hope M.M. hadn't turned his small explanation into a full-length sermon."

"Your dry humor is as invigorating as the Sahara, Dorvic. You many leave," rebuked M.M.

"Very well. I'll escort the two down to their quarters, then."

"Oh! I can show Kleiss the ropes. Leave it to me," happily perked White, his smiling face a rather rude wake-up call to the true Kleiss at how different to two 'Whites' were.

"Great. It's good to see some coworkers getting along…you _will_ be joining us, Kleiss?" Cheerfully asked M.M., although he skillfully added the last portion to hold the least bit of malevolence as possible.

"Of course! I'll work my hardest! I've never even thought of such a genius concept. Hehe, well what _can_ you expect out of a university graduate?" Joked the young Kleiss, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, I've hand-picked my staff, so none to worry. Have a pleasant stay," replied M.M. The employer kindly sent them on their way while Castus closed the door, the younger pair leaving them behind in a chorus of chatter.

The room immediately lost its clarity in both sight and sound leaving blurry images and less than intelligible muttering behind.

"_Wh-what's this?"_ Gasped the true Kleiss eyeing the place warily.

"Since the 'you' of then didn't stay behind I had to compensate. I was actually a part of the organization and sat in this very room during the conversation. The only way for you to continue your understanding of this memory was for me to erase my presence and fill it in with the 'you' of now. Now pay close attention."

After a slight urge to refute the reflection, Kleiss concentrated on anything the two figures in the room spoke. At first there was merely a blurry background noise that hung in the air, but then the sounds became coherent words.

"…hat they're out of here. I thought I might've lost it and thrown them out myself."

Kleiss was able to pinpoint the voice and discerned it as M.M. Listening closer to the two, he managed to break Dorvic's voice from the jumbled din.

"Quite. I'm rather please with my own performance, though" smirked Castus, his polite demeanor merely a mask.

"Indeed…however, if you try to play out another joke like _that_ again, then you'll be waking up with a chunk of tongue missing. Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course, sir. After all, I am your 'right-hand man,' am I not?" A wolfish smile gracing his features. "At any rate, here are the files on the new arrivals I spoke of earlier."

"Hmmm. A married couple. Do they have a child?"

"Not as of yet. Although the wife is approximately six months into term…Should I proceed with eliminating the distraction?"

"I enjoy a tasteful miscarriage as much as the next guy, but I'd rather you not. I'm afraid a mother who's lost a child is far more distracting that a simple newborn. Have you any word of the progress of our little project?"

A dreary silence immediately filled the air, confusing Kleiss.

"What's going on? Why can't I hear anything?" Questioned the former villain, his eyes trained on his duplicate.

"As I said earlier, it became a necessity to remove myself from this memory in order for you to take my place and see and hear what my past-self had. Currently, M.M and Dorvic are conversing with the 'me' of then. Just be patient…"

After a few more agonizing seconds, their voices became clear once again.

"HA! As if. Those disgusting savages still give me trouble. It'd be for the best if someone else selects the guinea pigs, M.M."

"I don't need to remind you that you're dealing with mindless animals. Cage them, sedate them, I don't care. Just find the appropriate subjects and return back to the labs for research."

"Fine. It's just become troublesome recently. I think the _animals_ are catching on, especially with the new faces up and about….Hehehe, don't you think it'd be for the best if we told that Kleiss kid that the labs dug underneath this building severely undermined the subterranean ecosystem, should we?"

A frown appeared on M.M.'s face. "What do you think? At any rate, I'll continue to twist around my words to my liking until I see fit otherwise. Please keep up with my charade if you value your left kidney, Dorvic."

"Always so violent, M.M. Well, _I_, at least, understood what I was getting into. Poor kid."

"It doesn't matter now. This is my organization and I make the rules. This is Sovereign, after all."


	30. Magnanimous Magnets

Thanks for the reviews complicityangel, BoredomIsAnUnderstatement, and CynePhoba. Alright, sorry to say but my computer got a virus two weeks ago. This threw a wrench in my updating plans, so I apologize. Anyway, it's a better. Now for this chapter, it took me a while because of the sensitive information. I finally get to introduce my OCs (that aren't really OCs). You'll understand when you read it. Alright, I'd better stop wasting your time. Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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"_Sovereign…what year was this memory?"_ Asked Kleiss, his back turned from the quarreling men behind him. _"Despite my case of amnesia, that name…Sovereign…seems to ring a bell."_

"I cannot say. It would be taking a step outside of the limitations of my abilities. Don't forget that we're not done," replied the peculiar doppelganger. At that moment, the world around the two shifted once more. The hazy office and its occupants flew from Kleiss' gaze. When Kleiss finally steadied his person, he found himself standing a few feet from his youthful counterpart.

"Hey, White," spoke the youth. "Where do you guys get all these supplies? I'd never expect toast and bagels in the middle of the wilderness…not that I'm complaining," joked the youth, his eyes beaming with fascination and naïveté. He sat across from the younger White at a breakfast counter, the latter of the two fiddling with a small toaster. It was apparently the next morning; small streams of sunlight bathed the room through a tiny window above the sink.

"Most of the organics we have available are grown in the underground gardens. The fruits, vegetables, and grain are all maintained by artificial sunlight and the nutrient rich soil found around the area. As for meats and dairy, these are imported from…other nearby outposts," timidly replied White, his eyes concentrating intently on the blueberry muffin and toast on his plate.

"Oh. That's incredible! So this facility is completely self-sufficient?" Inquired Kleiss, his piqued interest nearly palpable.

"Yes, yes. Quite indeed," said White, trying desperately to shift the subject of the conversation. "What do you think of Sovereign so far?"

"I think it's fantastic! Even though I've yet to work in the labs, I'm sure I won't be disappointed!"

White felt a tug of his lips as they arched into a small smile, "I'm sure you won't."

"Well," started White, his muffin reduced to nothing more than crumbs and darkened stains on the plate, "we'd better make preparations for your first visit. I'm sure that you'd love to see the gardens and whatnot, but it's out of courteously that we introduce ourselves to the new arrivals, no?"

"Oh, right. Mr. Castus said that there were going to be more people joining us later today…when will they arrive?"

"I've been told within the hour," replied White, his feet carrying him away from the kitchenette. "They're a married couple of Italian and Spanish descent. I'm sure they'll help lighten the mood around here, with Castus' sense of humor and all," spoke White, his off-hand comments fueling the youth's curiosity.

"So, they're both scientists?" Kleiss asked, his feet quickly following the other down the hall.

"Yep. For now, we'll have to meet up with Dorvic," said White, his pallid hand turning an unfamiliar door's knob.

Even with the loud groans of the door's hinges, the studious man hunched over his work failed to react. Dorvic Castus sat at his desk for nearly the entirety of each work day, from dawn till dust and back again. He kept to what was assigned to him and never lazed off. To sum things up, Dorvic was more of a machine than anything else.

On this day, he was knee deep in paperwork and computer programming. His usual wisteria toned eyes were covered by reading glasses and his russet hair was tightly tied back to keep it from brushing against his nose. Kleiss and White waited for a few seconds before the latter discretely coughed to get the man's attention. When that failed, White took the liberty of shouting at the tops of his lungs.

"CASTUS! YOU IN?"

The well-mannered man flailed about his workplace, a stream of important size-ten font papers cascading down his desk. With a billow of his loose, black clothes and a quick set of steps later, White found himself a few inches off the ground. Dorvic probably didn't look the part, but he could definitely hold his own in a fight.

"White, my dear opportunistic colleague, what pray tell may I _help_ you with?" Hissed Dorvic, a not-so-small vein popping out in anger. "I'm sure you can clearly see the mound of business proposals, insurance policies, and member papers I have to sift through right now. So out with it."

"I was simply worried for your well-being, Dorvic. You've been working yourself to the bone day in, day out. Don't you think you're…stressed?" Asked White, his question appearing innocent if it were not for the hint of mischievousness tainting his words…and the crude smirk.

"Mr. Castus, we were just wondering when the new arrivals would be…arriving," perked up Kleiss, his voice diffusing the 'boiling wrath' behind the overworked man's eyes.

"Ugh…Van Kleiss, good to see you. I'm sure you're unaware, but it's an unspoken rule that I am NOT to be bothered between the hours of six in the morning and ten at night. You can give me a message, but that's about it…" trailed off Dorvic, the frown lines on his face slightly receding. "However, since you're new, I'll let it slide. The couple is due to arrive in the west sector within half an hour, so I suggest you busy yourself until then."

The man gave a small sigh before releasing his death-grip on White's shirt lapel. Dusting off his slacks in mock concern, the youth returned to Kleiss' side.

"Now if you two don't mind," said Dorvic as he shoved the two youths out of the darkened room, "I have some forms to fill out and it'll take the rest of the afternoon to finish the rest of THAT." Kleiss and White tilted their heads to stare at the neat pile of papers stacked just behind the desk. It was at least twice the size of the pile on Dorvic's desk and floor combined.

The real Kleiss had expected the next shift to occur relatively soon. As he predicted, once the younger Kleiss and White left the office, the surroundings quickly morphed into the next memory.

"_The couple's arrival, I surmise?"_ Spoke Kleiss, his eyes wandering about the clean tables and gleaming ceramic tiles. White and Kleiss had just walked into the room where Dorvic and M.M. waited. However, in a corner of the elongated board room table, the walls stayed between memories, its form stuck between clear space and the whitened walls. It was more of a blurry image of water.

"_And I suppose that is where 'you' are seated?"_

"Excellent deduction. This is a formal meeting where M.M. introduces the other members…not just the couple," sagely informed the reflection.

The hushed conversation between M.M. and Dorvic quickly ended as soon as the youths closed the door. Signaling for the two to sit, M.M. took his time as he strode across the floor. The occupants' eyes trained on his form as he turned on the computer and started a presentation covering the overall costs and main concerns of the organization.

The man talked for what seemed like an eternity, but had actually finished within ten minutes. Clearing his throat with a gulp of water, M.M. reminded Dorvic to finish the member papers.

"Speaking of which, Castus, did you assist the two with their lodgings?" Brought up the boss, his dark eyes sweeping over the other occupants.

"Yes, sir. They were quite pleased with the arrangements. I've also sent word for their presence after this meeting is adjourned," said Dorvic, his hand quickly reached to adjust the low-hanging glasses perched atop his bridge.

"In fact," Castus continued, "I'll bring them in this inst-"

"WE'VE ARRIVED!"

Everyone's head, excluding the ghostly Kleiss doppelganger, swiftly turned to focus on the two standing in front of the door. The first few words that came to Kleiss' mind were…

"_Festive. Very festive."_ Kleiss couldn't bring himself to think of another, more politically-correct adjective to _describe_ the married couple. The man's bright smile was only outshined by his wife's. He sported a comfortable blazing red button-down with black work jeans. The wife wore a simple green sash over a not-so-simple crimson boat-neck dress.

The man was obviously Italian, but there were signs of Spanish descent as well; his eyes and hair were black and his skin was darkened by long days out in the sun. The woman held the same shades of black for her eyes and hair, but her skin was slightly lighter in tone. She was most definitely well into her second trimester, her belly slightly protruding from her form.

Both held a sort of confidence that was unusually familiar. It was bold, but a touch more reserved than what Kleiss had recalled.

The couple briskly walked down and sat in their respective seats, all the while, Dorvic stood frozen, too flabbergasted to move. He hadn't expected the two to be so…intrusive. 'How dare they interrupt me?'

"Ahem," began Dorvic, a slight tick forming at his left eye, "at any rate, allow me to introdu-"

"My name's Ullivieri Hidalgo and this beautiful woman beside me is Tonia!" Exclaimed the husband, his exuberance flooding the room. "We were originally the leading scientists at a research facility in Madrid, but as you all can see we're…Mr. Castus, are you alright? You're turning an awful shade of pink."

"No dear, I'd pin that color on red. It's a touch darker," quipped Tonia, her voice gliding throughout the room.

"Dorvic. Breath. You're being rude to our guests," whispered M.M., his eyes practically rolling from the sarcasm. However, neither of the two caught it and continued on their introductions.

Apparently, Ullivieri was half Italian; his mother was from Spain and had met his father during her travels. Ullivieri and Tonia were more or less inseparable and were happily married for nearly two years. From the times of their respective academies, the two grew up to be quite intelligent people. Ullivieri majored in advanced mechanics and the wife dealing with physics. After some time, the two settled down in Madrid where they rose through the ranks of the main government facility until they reached the top.

"At any rate, once we received the intel on just what we'd be doing, we jumped on it. It's not every day that one can change the world," spoke Tonia, her hand absent-mindedly resting on top of her swelling belly. She turned to her husband and the two shared a small smile.

Eventually, the conversations died down and once everyone was acquainted with one another, M.M. took the liberty to get down to business.

"Alright, now they we've settled ourselves in, we can begin. Sovereign works towards bettering the future through advances in technology. As you all know, this advancement will be centered on the relatively young field of nanotechnology. As such, the theories and basic understanding of generating 'workable' machines on the microscopic level is underdeveloped. I've assembled you all here because each of you have a certain aptitude that, when combined, will provide the answers we seek."

M.M. stood and opened his computer again, "From the information I'm sending you all, you'll be able to see that money is not going to become a detriment to this corporation. The experiments and logs being sent have all been gathered throughout the world. We will have the latest in software and lab equipment. There will not be any need for concern about dangers or accidents, nor will there be any shortage of raw materials or information."

"I wish you all the best of luck. If you will excuse me, I must attend to some urgent matters that I simply cannot let by any longer. Have a splendid day." With that, the Arabian man hastily removed himself from the board room.

'_Who are they? So familiar…'_ Pondered the true Kleiss, his good hand clasped around his chin in thought. Immediately, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he turned toward the false Kleiss.

"_Just why, exactly, can't I remember this day? Don't go beating around the bush either,"_ angrily said Kleiss, his clawed hand jabbing itself through the embodiment. The reflection returned the harsh glare that Kleiss sent him before a ghost of a smirk graced his face.

"Kleiss, Kleiss, Kleiss," spoke the strange figure, his tone of voice somewhat high as if reprimanding a child. "I can't outright feed you the answers. You're well capable of figuring it out yourself. Think now. It shouldn't be too hard. Rex can generate machines basically out of nothing, no raw materials. You can regenerate yourself if need be and freely manipulate nanites. I am currently appearing before you in your mind for goodness sake! Just how do you think you lost your memory?"

"…_You're joking. Another EVO? If that's true, then it must've been someone I've met before…someone here in this board room?"_ Exclaimed Kleiss his voice shrill and incredulous. He had a hard time believing it, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. It made perfect sense.

Though, it was rather terrifying. Knowing that there could be countless memories locked away, precious pieces of information that he could use to better his chances in fighting White. Whoever did this to him was definitely not an ally.

"Don't start thinking that I'll be giving you anymore hints. From now on, try to use your own devices," said the reflection.

Sighing, Kleiss returned to the conference, where both Dorvic and White had apparently left. His younger self was still talking adamantly with the couple, who were also quite interested in what stories the young man was spinning. An abrupt course of laughter filled the room. Kleiss guessed that he had told them a joke or something of the sort.

"Oh, Kleiss," said Tonia, her finger wiping away a stray tear, "you simply must tell us what happened afterward."

"Yeah kid, you're a riot. It's a pity that the others weren't here to hear it," chipped in Ullivieri, his hand slamming into the youth's back in gratitude.

"It-it was nothing, Mr. and Mrs. Hidalgo," said Kleiss, his face heating up from the brief, but highly unanticipated gesture. His back hurt a little too.

"Mr. Hidalgo is my father. Call me Ullivieri…or better yet, call me Vieri for short. We're colleagues. We're on equal ground, right?" stated Vieri, his face taking a darkening frown. A few heavy seconds past before the husband burst out in raucous laughter.

"Just pulling your leg, Kleiss. At any rate, let's go down to the cafeterias. My wife and I haven't eaten since we've arrived, and we're starved. Well, my wife is anyway. She's eating for two."

"Oh, stop it," said Tonia as she swatted her husband, chastising him about his manners around a lady.

"Just out of curiosity, is it a boy or girl?" Asked Kleiss the question burning to be spoken for the better part of the meeting and subsequent introduction.

"It's a boy," replied Tonia, her attention focused mainly on her baby. "Although, we haven't really thought of a name yet, right dear?"

"Yeah, though I still think we should give him a Latin name, not Spanish. Alejandro Hidalgo seems a little off. Which is why he shouldn't be a '_defender_,' he should be a '_king_.'"

The husband continued, "Rex is much better."


End file.
